Final Fantasy VI
by Saraphim's Song
Summary: Final Fantasy VI Novelization. Chapter 12: After his separation from his brother on the Lete river Sabin finds himself stranded in the Kingdom of Doma. Now, he must find a way back to his brother in Narshe, before the Empire finds its way to him first.
1. Chapter 1: Narshe

Silent snowflakes fell over the mining town that was nestled in the mountain's breast. Outside the storm was raging. In angry gusts the wind screamed and howled its fury at the small town, flinging flurries of snow at the intruding settlement, yet the snow fell softly and gently onto the sleeping hamlet. The wind had no power here. Nestled safe in the mountain, the fury of the storm was kept at bay, but it could not be kept out forever.

"Nicolai... Nicolai!" A young guard wearing a heavy jacket and a warm head wrap shook the sleeping man next to him. His youthful eyes were anxious, fearful orbs. "Nicolai, wake up! Something's coming!"

It was the dead of night. Silence permeated everything and the young guards harsh whispers grated like gravel in the silence. The snow continued to fall lazily from the cliffs above. The stars shone like bright ice in the cold night air.

"Relax boy, you're probably just seeing some Darkwinds." Nicolai admonished as he nestled deeper into his heavy jacket trying to find more warmth. The boy had nerves; his first night out. No one dared attack Narshe. Even in this time of war, Narshe was and would remain neutral. No upstart empire was going to bother them up here. Narshe was one of the oldest mining towns around. Its location and history made it impossible to conquer, and the men of Narshe loved their autonomy with a fierce passion.

"Nicolai!" The boy's whine continued. Nicolai grunted irritably, and then pulled himself up. The boy pointed into the opaque bleakness of the Narshe plains. "There do you see them? I don't know what they are, but they look big!" Nicolai squinted and leaned on the railing of the lookout.

"Gods in heaven…" Nicolai whispered. He grabbed the boy. "Tell the Elder. Tell him that the empire's invading."

Terrified the boy ran down the stairs even as Nicolai grabbed the rope and rang on the lookout bell.

The clang of the bell pealed out its alarm ringing off the mountains into the ears of the Narshe miners. It rang, an impending doom. It rang around the whole world, warning everyone that the Empire was coming.

A woman stood at the gates of Narshe. Her body was encased and situated in a large metal suit that made her look frail and vulnerable. Two men in similar suits stood behind her whispering.

"There's no point in taking any risks let's put her up front." The first one said. The other looked at him reprovingly.

"I don't think that's such a good idea. She's a high ranking official. If something happens to her we're going to have to answer for it." Both men looked warily at the girl.

"Listen Biggs, I don't want her behind me. I don't care what they said about the crown, we all know it's a prototype. If something goes haywire and we're in front of her we're going to be fried." The other guard hesitated for only a moment then he nodded and walked next to the girl.

"You're ordered to take point. Comply." he said. The girl looked blankly ahead.

"Wedge, you have to use the radio. The crown can't compute you're order unless you use the radio. See, like this" Biggs pushed a button on the machine, "You're ordered to take point. Comply now."

"Order is valid." A computer generated voice emitted into the headset. The armor maneuvered obligingly and then walked under the archway into Narshe.

The town was silent. Doors were locked, lights turned off. The only sound was the howling of the wind, screaming and spitting at the unwanted visitors. Behind the houses waited the Narshe Guard. They watched in an abstract horror as the hulking beasts stalked through the town. Arvis grimaced at the situation. The machines were massive, twice as tall as any man; an unholy compound of pitch, metal and braided coils. Like snakes, he thought to himself.

"Get some gunmen on the roof." He whispered to soldier behind him. "We're not going to do anything to the machines, but if we can get the people inside then we might be able to stop them." The lead machine walked into view.

"What unholy trickery is this? Sending girls to do their dirty work now? The bastards." He watched the girl in the armor. Her eyes held straight ahead. There was no searching gaze, no weary glance usually associated with invasions. She wasn't even blinking. Then his eyes fell upon the crown. A mass of wires twisted into a grotesque circlet donned the girls head, pressing into her skull. An explanation to her odd behavior.

"Don't shoot at the girl." He said. The soldier looked incredulous.

"But Arvis,"

"Don't argue." The man nodded and headed off to tell the other gunmen. The two machines came into view carrying two men. Normal imperial soldiers, but why put the girl in front?

The first bullet flew, and missed. With a twang they flew off the armor and spun off. More bullets came pelting the snow and the machines.

Alert Alert! Biggs ducked as a bullet flew past his head and into the armor.

"Pull back, pull back!" He screamed into the radio. Wedge was already heading behind a stack of barrels but the girl stood her ground. Bullets whistled through the air around her. "Pull back! That is an order. Comply!" Biggs yelled. He heard a beeping in his ear and then the computer generated voice.

"Order invalid. Defensive tactics program begin." Biggs walked behind the building, cursing the machines mobility as more bullets bounced off his armor. There was no way she could reach them. They were out of range. The only thing she could do was set the houses on fire…" Biggs watched emotionlessly waiting for the first flame to fire from the machine.

But no flame emitted from the machine. A high pitched whine suddenly screeched through the air. The sound pierced the silence. Screams echoed from above him and he heard the sickening thumps of men falling from the roof onto the icy road. The rest of the guard sulked back behind the houses. Silence once again permeated the air.

"What the hell was that?" Biggs asked.

"I have no idea. I've never heard of that function before."

"That wasn't a function. There're no amplifiers on these armors.

"Don't be ridiculous. You think she made that sound herself?" Wedge asked. Biggs didn't answer. "Come on we need to get into the mines before they get more gunmen out here."

He pulled out behind the girl and followed as she walked forward.

"Warning. Hostile Units detected." The electronic voice said monotonously in his ear. Biggs surveyed the area. A host of Narshe guards, and lobos crept from behind the houses. Circling them and creating an ambush. Men were back on the roofs. Guns aimed and ready to fire.

"You are not welcome here!" A lone voice echoed out from the host of men. "Leave in peace and there will be no bloodshed tonight." Biggs looked sidelong at Wedge. The girl stood motionless.

"Warning. Hostile Units detected. Initiating offensive mode." Droned the computer.

"Wait no!" Wedge yelled into the radio. "Abort that command! Comply! Do you hear me? God Damnit. Comply!"

"Shut it Wedge" Biggs cut in. "We've got a mission to accomplish" he continued ignoring the horrified look on his comrade's face. "Initiating Offensive mode." He said into the radio. The girl's armor pushed itself into motion. The Narshe guard charged forward onto the girl's armor, but the blasts of fire coming from behind her made it impossible for the men to overcome her machine. The machines barreled forward heedless to the fallen men below their gigantic metal feet.

The guard, those that hadn't been incinerated by tongues of fire, were running chaotically toward the houses.

"Reform the line!" A Narshe guard called. Arvis grabbed a hysterical soldier and tried to drag him toward the line, but the man fought back viciously. He held a young boy in his arms. Arvis hesitated; he couldn't have been more than 15. His young face was half charred away by the beams of fire still smoldered and smoked in the cold air. The smell of burnt flesh was overwhelming. Arvis felt sick.

"Nicolai, come. We have to regroup!" But even as he spoke the girl in the armor approached them. Arvis looked fearfully at the girl. Her eyes were dead; as dead as the young boy's in Nicolai's arm. The machine stopped as a Lobo jumped onto the machine, snapping its jaws viciously at the girls face. The machine swung trying to throw the wolf off, but with a deadly tenacity the wolf hung on. The machine stopped, and a great sound of machinery rose in to challenge the wind, and the lobo turned as white as the falling snow around him. The machine reached its climax, and the wolf slowly faded away still snapping at the driver. Arvis watched in a fearful fascination as the girls face became clear. The lobo had not missed his mark. Her face was ripped and blood streamed down her face, yet still no emotion, no sign of pain. Her machine continued forward.

"Imperial bastards! Die!" Nicolai cried grabbing his sword and throwing it at the girl in the armor. The sword spiraled through the air and stuck firmly between the girls breasts. She slumped forward across the panels before her, and the drone of the machine whined to a stop. Breathlessly Arvis watched. She was dead. No way could she have survived that… yet he watched in abstract horror as her long fingers twitched a command into the machine. The power roared into the machine and a green light emitted from the inside. Arvis could feel the warmth emanating from the glow. The light receded and the girl raised her head. Her skin was perfect. She grabbed the knife and pulled it away from her. Again the green light and the wound healed, and the machine lurched forward. A shrill trumpeting cried followed by earth shaking footsteps. They'd set the Vomammoths loose.

"Nicolai come on! We have to get out of here." Nicolai looked one last time at the girl. A look of complete horror and disbelief.

"Gods and Goddesses protect us…"

"Come!" Arvis urged pulling on the man's arm. Four or five vomammoths were stampeding toward the line. They would trample the machine, the girl, and them if they didn't get out of the way. Arvis and Nicolai watched with bated breath.

The girl did not flinch, she did not budge. The vomammoths came pounding forward. "Move you fool!" Arvis muttered under his breath, but she did not move. Already her comrades had taken cover behind some houses. He saw one of them screaming into his headset and shooting fire beams at the vomammoths. He stopped when he realized it had no effect and when he saw the putrid yellow almost liquid cloud of gas eject from the girls machine.

The gas hovered in a dense cloud for moment then dissipated into the air. The Vomamoths cried out as the gas hit them, burning their eyes and choking them. All of them died instantly except for one that, though not stampeding anymore, walked up to the girl trying to complete its task despite it's poisoned body. The girl shot it dead in the head. It trembled then fell over. The winds moan mingled with that of animal and human alike, yet still the machines moved forward.

"They're going into the mines" Arvis heard someone shout.

"God let them!" Someone answered. There was silence and indecisiveness. Then hacking. Arvis looked down at Nicolai who retched into the snow. The gas was permeating the whole city. The vomammoths had taken the brunt of it and he felt sure that was was left wouldn't kill, but it would incapacitate the whole town if they didn't get out of there. Arvis covered his mouth and ran after the machines into the mines. He couldn't stop them, but he sure as hell could see what they were up to.

Inside the mines it was not hard to follow the imperial soldiers. The noises of the machines echoed noisily off the mine walls covering any sounds Arvis made as he followed. The men, all of whom weren't struck ill by the noxious gas, were gathering in front of the mine entrance. Arvis had slipped silently away from them and into the mine supposedly unnoticed he thought until a large hand snagged his shoulder.

"Nicolai!" Arvis whispered harshly surprised. Nicolai grunted.

"That witch killed that boy Arvis. I'm going to kill her. Me." He said pointing at his chest. Arvis looked wearily at Nicolai and the queer glint in his eye.

"I don't think that's wise Nicolai. She's not herself. Something's controlling her. I don't think we should kill her." Nicolai grunted again.

"She's from the empire. You saw her witchcraft. She's evil, and I'm going to kill her." Arvis said nothing to this, but a gnawing fear had settled into his stomach. He wanted the empire destroyed as much as Nicolai, but Narshe had done nothing to prevent this. They had sent no aid to other countries even when they had begged, and now with the news of Maranda...No, his loyalties lied with the Returners, and the Returners were emphatic that this girl, this witch, should not be killed. Captured, yes, but not killed. He only hoped he could do something about Nicolai before he got to her.

They walked stealthily behind the clanking armors through the mineshaft. Arvis could hear the two male soldiers' harsh whispers as he followed them deeper into the mine leading to the esper.

"I'm telling you Biggs this is a suicide mission. That girl is out of control. What are they doing sending her out on this type of mission anyways? Did you see what she did to those Vomammoths?" Wedge asked. Biggs looked sidelong at his companion.

"She seems to have some natural affinity with these machines." He said grimacing. "You were there when Kefka brought her out to the barracks?" Wedge shook his head. "Sick bastard…" Biggs muttered. Wedge hesitated.

"You were there? What did you do to get away?" He said swallowing hard. They were still following the girl deeper into the mine.

"General Leo was nearby. He stopped everything before it got anywhere near to me. I'd never seen him so livid. Severed the power cores to the magitek and then literally threw Kefka from his armor. I almost thought he was going to kill him, but, well, you know the general. He started leading the girl away till Kefka ordered her to attack him. She caught him off guard and they struggled a bit til he knocked her out and carried her inside. Didn't matter though. The next time I saw her she was under Kefka's command again." Biggs frowned and Wedge nodded.

"I heard he got off claiming it was a training procedure."

"That was no procedure that was a blood bath. 50 soldiers dead… " Both of the men got silent lost in their own thoughts. When they came to a fork in the mines the machinery noises settled to a low hum. Biggs looked down at his screen where text was scrawling.

"Intelligence reports that the esper was found in a new mineshaft. Maybe this one?" He said turning his armor toward the entrance straight ahead. Wedge nodded. "Ok, I'll take care of this. Stand back." Biggs said into his radio so the girl could respond. Her machine beeped and she backed up. The machine revved up and walked steadfastly straight through the barrier. Ropes and boards broke apart in a raucous clamor of crackles and snaps. The sound of coughing could be heard on the other side.

"What the hell?" The narshe guard said as the dust settled then recognizing the imperial armor he jumped back. "You can't… Can't have the esper." He stammered to the massive statues and their riders' illuminated faces. "Ymir…. Go!" He said and then ran farther into the mind. A guttural gurgle echoed in the mines and the machines backed out of the door way. A giant snail oozed its way into the entranceway blocking the way.

Initiating offensive mode…

"Wait! Wait!" Biggs called.

But it was too late. A burst of fire struck the slimy head of the snail and it recoiled into its shell. The girl's machine beeped and then sent a bolt of lightening at the shell. The shell hummed with the electrical current and suddenly regurgitated it at the girl. She took the hit without flinching, but it was obvious serious damage was done. Her armor powered down significantly, and the girl had crumpled onto the controls.

"Shit!" Biggs yelled frantically typing a command into his machine. A green light illuminated the girl and she slowly revived, but Biggs knew that her machine was damaged. Red lights flashed onto the girl's skin.

"What the hell was that?" Wedge yelled looking at the shell still blocking the way. Biggs turned to face the monster.

"This is a whelk. They live in the high mountains here. During storms lighting will strike them, but their shells protect them. It gathers the energy and discharges back."

Wedge nodded. "Ok, don't attack its shell. Got it"

"Right…"

Initiating offense mode attack beta…

The girl had righted her machine. "Abort that command. Comply." Biggs said as the machine struggled over in front of the monster. "Abort the command comply! Damn it!"

Order is invalid. The machine answered back. Objectives of mission: Destroy all obstacles. Retrieve Esper. The machine hunkered down and rumbled violently. Then suddenly jolted back twice as two missiles shot out and flew straight into the shell. The snail screamed horribly as the missiles exploded inside. The shell skidded erratically back into the mine out of site leaving a slimy trail of goo. There was a grim silence between the two soldiers, but the third armor walked forward and they followed silently into a vaulted chamber.

Scaffolds and mining picks were scattered all around the vast cave. Stalactites hung down threateningly from the ceiling and, all around, the room was illuminated by a faint blue glow from the center of the cave. Biggs visibly swallowed at the site of it.

"Shit…" Wedge said softly. The esper sat silently encased in its icy cell. It was some sort of reptilian bird, and it was the biggest esper Biggs had ever seen. He'd been in the labs before, he'd seen the monsters floating in their tubes, but none of these had struck the fear into Biggs heart as this one did. It was frozen in a pose of rage. Malevolent black beady eyes glinted in the eerie glow. Encased in ice, yes, but this esper was not like the others. It wasn't drugged. It was volatile, and Biggs was sure it was staring right at them.

The room lit with a sudden brilliance emanating from the esper in the center. It's glow had intensified scaring away the shadows of the vaulted cave, and lighting the magitek armor. Wedge maneuvered his machine back.

"Biggs, something is wrong here…" He murmered, panic creeping in his voice. Biggs turned to reply but didn't. Instead he stared in horror as Wedge's machine whined to a fevered pitch.

"What? What's this light?" Wedge cried even as his machine glowed brilliantly till it climaxed in a huge flash. With a loud zinging sound the light erupted blinding everyone. When Biggs eyes cleared Wedge's machine and Wedge were gone.

"What the hell? Wedge? Wedge, where are you? Abort mission." Biggs yelled into his machine. "Abort abort!" He yelled into the radio then threw the head set off, and stared at it fearfully. From the headset static, garbled computer generated voices, and unearthly wailing could be heard. "Gods and goddesses…" Biggs said backing his machine away from the girl who approached the esper steadily. She had begun to glow the same blue light of the esper. He knew it was too late. He heard his machine squeal he saw the light and with one last fearful glance he stared into the black malevolent eyes of the esper and then died.

Arvis and Nicolai, in any other situation, would have run from the cavern, but fear rooted them to the spot. That thing was alive and it was attacking. The light in the room was gathering inward toward the ice. It focused and in a bolt of energy attached itself to the girls head creating a connection of wriggling snakelike energy. The girl clutched her head and screamed even as the light intensified and small explosions erupted from her machine. The scream was the second thing she consciously recognized. The first was the fiery hot explosion of pain that erupted in her head from the vast nothingness that had been their previous. The third was a computer generated voice so garbled with static and strange wailing that she had no idea what it said. The last thing she recognized was that it was her own screaming she heard as she clawed at her head, and then everything went black.

The light faded leaving only the remains of the smoldering magitek armor and the girl inside it. The esper had resumed its faint glow and silent brooding. Arvis found himself staggering out from the boulder he had used as cover. My gods he thought running to her. She had to be dead. Prying her from the smoking metal wasn't easy, but somehow Arvis managed and soon he had her on the ground. He felt her pulse; faint. Breathing; even fainter. Nicolai approached breathing heavily.

"Is she dead?" his voice rumbled above Arvis. Arvis shook his head and looked up to see Nicolai's face. It was a horrible sight. A sardonic grin twisted his features. He pulled a knife from his belt and lunged at the girl.

"Nicolai, no!" Arvis said, grabbing his arm. Nicolai turned and swung at him thoroughly enraged now. Arvis threw a few well paced punches and a with a quick blow to the head Nicolai's knife clattered to the ground followed by the heavy thump of his body. Arvis gasped for breath his heart beating fast with the consequences of his actions. Then he gathered the girl in his arms and headed out of the mine even as the noise of the Narshe soldiers sounded behind him.


	2. Chapter 2: Locke

"Narshe." Locke thought bitterly. Locke hated Narshe. A bunch of old tight ass miners who didn't give a shit for anything but themselves. He was sitting outside the Narshe gates surveying the situation, cursing the empire, and cursing Edgar for sending him here. He'd received the message two hours ago from those specially trained birds the returners used. Fast little buggers they were. This one was from Arvis, their Narshe contact whom Locke had been ordered to aid. Imagine his suprise when he recieved word that there'd been an attack on Narshe. An attack on Narshe? Was the Empire insane? Locke probably wasn't the only one who thought so. The air was thick with tension. Double guards at the gate. Shouting in the distance. No way in hell was he going to get through here by stealth. He sighed, well sometimes the best way to go unnoticed is to be as obvious as possible.

He stood up and brushed the snow off his leathered pants and walked resolutely to the front gate. The guards were looking down at him.

"Halt!" A voice yelled. Locke stopped and faced the four guards in front of him. "No one is allowed to enter here. You'd better leave." A man said gruffly. Locke feigned shock mingled with anger.

"But… but I have family here waiting for me. Why can't I go inside?" The guards, already at the end of their nerves glared. "Because we've just been attacked by the empire. We're taking no chances." The one nearest Locke said coldly. He looked like he'd been to hell and back. His left eye was black and blue, vomit and blood was on his tunic.

"You can't just keep people away from your families, you know. Locke said in a whine. "They're expecting me. You're going to cause my mum to worry." He clenched his fists and then pushed forward. The guard grabbed and pushed him roughly against the wall.

"I said no entry." He said in a deadly quiet voice. "We're taking no chances." The guard tightened his grip on Locke's neck.

"Do I look like a damn imperial bastard to you?" Locke chocked out. The guard loosened his grip. "Look man I just want to go home to my family. It's cold and I'm tired and have no place to stay." Locke looked at him pleadingly.

"Come on, Nicolai" The guard behind him said. "He's harmless. Just let him go home." Nicolai did not move. Then he abruptly threw Locke into the town.

"You have five minutes to get to your home. If I see you out on the streets I'll kill you personally." He spat in the snow and stalked off.

"Not if I kill you first" Locke muttered.

Locke often wondered how he had found himself in this position. What the hell were the Returners trying to accomplish anyways. Somehow sending him in after an imperial attack didn't seem like it was going to help the situation. Still, here he was…

He found the house of Arvis set against a rocky outcrop. It was a large house. Obviously Arvis held some rank in this town. He could see a man's silhouette through the window. Not bothering to knock he opened the door and walked in.

The heat was thick and comforting as he stepped inside and he sighed with relief, but the man did not hear him. Locke saw him standing by the fire holding an odd metallic object in his hands. His eyes looked like he'd seen genocide. Locke made a little noise startling him from his thoughts. Arvis jumped and then seeing Locke recovered. He set the metallic object on the mantle and turned to Locke.

"Took you long enough" Arvis said. "How goes the robbing and plundering trade?"

"I prefer the term Treasure hunter."

"Bullshit" He said.

"Just tell me what I'm supposed to do here alright?" Locke said. He didn't feel like being badgered.

The man walked into a small bedroom beckoning Locke to follow. He set the metallic object on the bed stand. It looked like a crown, but not a crown Locke would want to wear. The old man sat wearily on his bed. It looked like someone had been sleeping in it.

"As you know Narshe has been attacked by the Empire. One of their soldiers is in the mines. I rescued her and sent her into the mines to avoid capture."

"What the hell did you do that for?" Locke asked, but the man ignored him.

"The girl was not in control of her thoughts. " He said picking up the crown and running his fingers along the smooth metal. "This crown here robbed her of all conscience. It's your job to go into the mines and find her. If I were to do it I would risk ruining my reputation in this town, and I need that reputation to sway Narshe to the Returner's side. Take her to Figaro. Edgar will deal with her from there. Banon has put this down as an extreme priority. Get her out at all costs."

"Why are we so interested in one soldier?" Locke asked. Arvis became quiet and stared at the metal circlet.

"She is… unique." He said vaguely. His eyes were remembering the dead eyes of the girl. The horrible scream as that… that thing had connected with her. Locke, however had seen none of these things and he was tired of cryptic answers. He'd heard rumors of the empire breeding witches of some sort. He'd heard horrible rumors. The first about her killing her own soldiers and the latest the burning of Maranda. Could this be the "soldier" Arvis was talking about? Locke imagined stumbling upon an old hunched figure, a monster, in the mines. He imagined gnarled hands causing him to burn in horrible flames. What was he supposed to do with a witch? He became angry.

"This better not have anything to do with that imperial riding witch!"

"Hold you tongue!" Arvis snapped and glared. "This crown robbed her of all thoughts." He said pointing viciously at the object. "She could hardly remember her name. She is important Locke, but more importantly she is innocent and… so young." He shook his head and set the crown down. "That is your job Locke. If you fail the Returners have lost all hope of destroying the Empire, but more importantly, Locke, if you fail an innocent person will die tonight. Hurry. Find her quickly and keep her safe." He pointed at the door. "There's a passage way into the mines from there. That's where I sent her. Your best bet is to pick up her trail and find her. Quickly now."

He rushed me out of the door. "Good luck Locke" He said shutting the door. Locke sighed and crept across the bridge into the mines.

It had been ages since Locke walked through these mines, but it wasn't very hard to follow her trail. The monsters of the mines had not met a very good fate. Many of them had horrific burn marks on them. Did she still have the magitek armor? He shook his head. No, there wouldn't be enough room to maneuver. He pushed the thought out of his mind and followed the trail. Then stopped when he heard voices echoing in the distance.

"She's down there. Quick cut off the exits." He heard footsteps running away, so he cautiously crept up to the sounds. The guards had dispersed and all there was to see was a hole in the ground. Tenderly he walked on the un-firm ground and looked down, and saw the figure of a woman.

Locke was aware of himself jumping down the hole and hitting the ground. It was a fool-hardy thing to do. It was stupid. Even more stupid his reasons for doing it, he thought, but it had all seemed so familiar. Looking down seeing her lying there, broken…

He knelt toward the woman, aware for the first time her features. Not a witch at all. She was long and slender and elegantly sprawled on the ground. Locke wondered how girls managed to fall so prettily as he knelt down and checked to see if she was breathing. She was. He wiped some dirt from her face looking at the features. They were small and elegant as well. She looked like a someone of noble blood, and Arvis was right, she was young. She was unconscious most likely from the fall, but he could see deep puncture wounds around her head from the slave crown as well. Locke squinted. He wasn't sure in the light, but her hair looked almost green. Of course that was impossible, just a trick of the light. He shook her soldiers gently, but received no response. She was out cold.

He sat and waited for a while trying to think of what to do. "I'd be damned if I got out of here alive trying to carry her and avoid the guards." He thought to himself. Above he heard a commotion of running feet. The guards were filling the mines. It would only be a matter of time till they came into here. He scanned the cave, looking for a good place to hide, but none were present or useful. They'd brought Lobo's and they'd already have her scent.

"There she is!" A man cried. Damn that was fast. A few Narshe soldiers entered the room across from them. There was no way he could take them all. He toyed with the idea of leaving the girl. I could always kidnap her later. He cast a glance at the girl.

"What the…?"

A bundle of furry little animals were huddling around the girl. Moogles. They were all armed and one of them, holding a vicious looking pike, was pointing at her excitedly. Locke could hear the pounding of the Lobos. The moogles seemed to be discussing something then as if in a sudden agreement they all turned and ran head on into the approaching enemy. A few female moogles, looking just as fierce as their mates, stood guard by the girl.

Locke looked bewildered not understanding why moogles were rushing against the lobos and not him, but he sure as hell was appreciating it. He approached the girl but the moogles glowered. One of them actually snapped.

The battle ended quickly. In fact very little fighting took place. The moogles ran from one part of the cave setting off traps that sent guards plummeting to the lower leves of the mines. Locke looked behind him and realized why the traps were there. A small door was cut into the wall behind him and it was filled with Moogles. Many of them looking young and scared. They were protecting their home and doing a damn good job too. The miners fled at the little animal's wrath and Locke soon found himself face to face with what he assumed to be the chief. He was babbling in Moogle.

"Kupapo puuu pinga Ramuh na pupapi. Kupo!" He said waving his small arms and pointing at the girl. Then seeming satisfied him and the others ambled off into their little crevices in the walls. Locke soon found himself alone with the girl. He could hear no sound of regrouping. He leaned down and picked the girl up. At least she was light he thought to himself. A small squeek caught his attention. He looked down at a small moogle who was beckoning him to follow. Nodding Locke followed the moogle safely through the mines.


	3. Chapter 3: Are You Awake?

Terra's eyes fluttered open to the darkness of a cave. She stared into it, but Terra wasn't quite sure what to do. She had become used to the blankness of her mind, and she was waiting for an order, but no order came. Her mind raced with snaps of images she didn't recognize. A cold room, a cruel man, soldiers... so many soldiers burning... and then light, and then... nothing. She groaned the thought of doing something made her feel sick, so she contented herself with looking up at the ceiling. Her body ached fiercely her head more so.

"If I remember correctly… this switch'll" She heard someone muttering and then a loud thunk sounded and Terra jumped at the sound. She sat up fast and then regretted it. Her stomach churned and her head swam and she could vaguely see someone walking toward her. He knelt down.

"Hey, You conscious now?" she looked at his face. Not a narshe guard, but not the old man either. He had sharp features, sharp eyes, a rugged face the was pleasing on the eyes, dark brown hair hung from a bandanna. He was wearing leather pants a shirt and a ragged pocketed vest. He was holding his hand out and it took her a moment before she realized his intent was to help her up.

"Did…I survive?" She asked as they stood up. Even as she said it she knew it sounded stupid, yet somehow she wanted to be reassured. He grinned at her,

"Don't thank me, thank the moogles. They helped save you." He said. Terra looked at him puzzled. That wasn't what she had meant. She had no idea what he was talking about. He must have noticed because he frowned.

"Ugh… I don't remember anything. Not from the past or present."

"You don't remember… anything?" He asked weakly. He seemed to pale as he said it.

"Someone… said my memories would come back with time." She explained, but he seemed to be unaware.

"Memories..." he said softly, then smiled at her, "Well, that's a relief. I'm supposed to protect you, so let's go!"

Go? Go where. Terra hesitated. "Who are you?" she asked and she knew her voice had betrayed her hesitation.

"You can call me Locke. Don't worry, I'll protect you till your memory returns. You'll be safe with me." Terra felt his arm grip her shoulder comfortingly and was surprised at the warmth it held. "Come on." He said waving her after him. The stone wall thumped back into place as they exited.

"Hey, it wouldn't hurt to remember this wa…" Locke began, but a large man had tackled him to the ground. Locke grabbed at the man's arm as a knife flashed down.

"Leaving so soon?" the man said viciously. Locke recognized him as the guard from the gate. He was half crazed staring down at him, and struggling against Locke's arm trying to get the knife closer to his throat. A stone flew through the air and hit the man in the head, not enough to knock him out, but enough to divert his attention. The guard looked straight at the girl and let out a strangled cry running towards her. It happened so fast Locke felt a sharp shoot of panic. The girl reached for the sword at her side, but not fast enough. By the time Locke had gotten to his feet the guard had pinned her against the wall his hands tight around her throat. He was screaming madly at her. Locke pulled out his dagger grabbed the man's head and jerked the knife across his throat. He gargled in surprise and then fell to the ground dead. The girl immediately dropped coughing up blood.

Locke knelt beside her and grabbed a bottle from one of his pockets.

"Drink this. Now!" He said tipping it up against her mouth. She coughed as she drank, but was able to get some of the potion down. Her body was shaking.

"Come on," he said pulling her up. She stumbled "Come on!" He said more forcefully and dragged her behind him.

They ran until the Narshe gates had faded from view then they ran some more. Finally Locke veered them left into a grove of trees. No one had followed them, but Locke didn't want to risk another encounter with the Narshe guard. That man had gone berserk, and Locke didn't want to know what that girl had done to inspire such hatred. The girl had sat down on a large stone and was hunched holding her throat. He looked back towards Narshe.

"We'll rest here for a bit." He said looking back and realizing she was crying.

"Are you ok?" he said kneeling down in front of her. She nodded slightly and let her arms down. She was still shaking, and Locke realized for the first time that she was cold. And no wonder either Locke thought taking in the ridiculous outfit she was wearing. She looked like she belonged in a circus. Her dress, if you could call it that was extremely sparse. Tight fitting and short and thin. She had flimsy cloth boots on, and was wearing sheer leggings, and gloves, that didn't cover her fingers. The only other thing she had was a necklace with a pendant. His eyes stopped at the sight of her hair. No trick of the light, her hair was a pale green held up by berets and seashells. He put it from his mind, took off his jacket and wrapped it around her shoulders.

"What the hell do you people wear in Vector?" he asked jokingly, but she didn't reply. He had a feeling she was done talking for a while, so he sat down next to her and rested.

"We're heading to Figaro." He told her. "It's about four days away from here and it's mostly downhill, so that's good. Hopefully we'll meet up with a caravan or some guards when we hit the desert. They'll have some decent clothes for you, a cloak at the least, and possibly a place for you to ride, but from here on out we're going to have to walk." She nodded ,still silent. "When we get to Figaro we'll talk to Edgar. I'm sure he'll like you, especially if you're wearing that." He said meaning her clothes, or lack thereof. He was grinning, and Terra wasn't sure why, but she was glad he was talking, because it made her feel safe.


	4. Chapter 4: The Puppet King

The kingdom of Figaro did not have many dealings with the Empire despite their formed alliance. Mostly this was due to the distance between the two nations. It was also due to the fact that the Figaronian King was notorious for being a licentious womanizer with little on his mind unless it involved the female anatomy. He was known to be fairly incompetent when it came to ruling the kingdom. He sloughed most of his duties onto his chancellor and even his old matron. He found that the soft skin of a woman's body was much more alluring than papers and court meetings.

Perhaps this is why he so readily agreed to an alliance with the Empire when he first took over the throne. Many believed that the King would gladly hand the responsibility of the kingdom to the Empire should they ever ask. The Empire, of course was delighted. This new king, so different from the father they had worked so hard to remove, was exactly the type of monarch they liked to do business with. He was lazy, he was morally corrupt, and most importantly he posed absolutely no threat. He was congenial and free with information as well as men and money, or what was left of them.

Each year the army dwindled. Untrained and scrawny they barely had enough to keep the desert raiders away. The funds were not much better. They were squandered on lavish imports from far away countries of unknown origin. Fine wines and cheeses, smooth silk, gems and gold. There was little money left for the kingdom much less the empire, but the empire didn't mind the lack of support from their fellow ally. The weaker he was the easier he would be to remove.

So, if the Empire thought Edgar, King of Figaro, was a fool no one could blame them. Personally Edgar was more than happy with his situation. He was, after all, the generous king. the womanizer, the squanderer of the Figaronian fortune, the end of the noble Figaronian line. He was exactly what the Empire wanted him to be, and he was immensely pleased to have played his role so well.

But now… Now Edgar was waiting in the throne room deep in thought. It was not the face of the jovial king, nor was it the face of incompetence. It was the face of impatient boredom. "Waitin." The king thought savagely, but soon the wait would be over.

The pigeon carrier had come a week ago. Sent to him by Returner agents located in South Figaro. An urgent notice of a sighting of an Imperial ship harboring three of the empire's dreaded magitek armors, two regular soldiers, and most peculiarly a high ranking official. A high ranking official who came without a guard, who came secretly into the night, and whom was heading for Narshe. They were unable to identify the official, but they knew she was female. And the only high ranking female official Edgar knew about was Celes Chere, and if that were the case, he hoped Narshe would resist its pyre better than Maranda had.

But then a new sighting came, and the official was not Celes Chere. It was no one they recognized or could identify. They described her features. Features that were very peculiar and very odd, but not as odd as Banon's sudden keen interest in this official.

Edgar had joined the returners shortly after he made his alliance with the empire. His dwindling armor dwindled into returner sympathizers, and his over sea's exporter had definitely got the better part of the bargain. Edgar followed Banon's orders, because that man knew things about the empire that no other man did, and he could do something about it. Edgar's hands were tied. He never had nor ever would have the strength to challenge the Empire, but he would do whatever was needed to support the man who could. So he had sent Locke to Narshe to kidnap this high ranking official, and now he was waiting. He'd heard of the attack on Narshe. He'd heard of the strange occurrence between the esper and the official, he'd heard from Banon, but he had not heard from Locke. And it was Locke that he desperately needed to hear from, but he knew he was being impatient. It took time to cross a desert, assuming one was alive enough to cross the desert in the first place. Edgar sighed and looked dejectedly up to the high window where the desert sun blazed in an empty sky. He'd waited 10 years already. He could wait a little longer.

When the chamber doors opened a little later the chancellor entered the throne rooml. Edgar raised an eyebrow in query.

"Locke has arrived with the girl." He reported. Even as he said this Locke walked into the hall followed by a cloaked figure. The figure removed the hood and looked behind her warily. Extra guards were taking position at the doorway.

"So, this is the woman?" He said smiling slightly. Locke nodded. Edgar had to admit she wasn't the imperial brat he had expected her to be. She also didn't look or act like a member of Imperial rank would act. She was slender and tall and timid. She reminded Edgar of a little bird. He made eye contact with her and she held it. "Maybe not so timid after al." l Edgar thought. He lowered his gaze and smiled a little bit more. Stepping close to her he caressed the side of her check playing with a tendril of her hair.

"Pretty." He said simply and turned to Locke.

"Who do you think you are?" he heard the demand and smiled. Definiatley not as timid as she looks. Edgar turned round with a flourish of his cape and a broad rougish grin.

"How impolite of me, to turn my back on a lady." He bowed low took her hand and kissed it before she could pull back. "King Edgar of Figaro." Locke sideled next to him and slugged him in the shoulder.

"Knock it off Edgar." Edgar just grinned at him.

"Perhaps you would leave me and the lady alone for a minute." He said. Locke looked like he was about to argue then stopped.

"Sure, whatever." Locke said exiting from the room. Terra watched Locke leave with a sinking feeling in her stomach.

"So, you're an Imperial soldier. You have no need to worry. Figaro and Ghastra are allied countries. You will be safe from persecution here. Feel free to rest up and heal your wounds, if you need to." Edgar was smiling down at her making her feel very uneasy.

"Why are you being so generous? Are you after my powers?" she asked. Edgar smiled. He doubted this girl ranked very high on the official list despite his information. Still, she could be hiding behind her own mask, just like he was hiding behind his. Edgar smiled. He could hide better though.

"First of all, your beauty has captured my heart and your spirited personality has caught my attention… Your power I suppose would be a distant third." He said. He was beaming at her now waiting for the flustering to begin, but she just stared at him obviously unsure of how to act, and not exactly flattered.

"What are you talking about?" she finally said. Edgar sighed and made a small inclination with his head.

"Feel free to wander the castle. Also have a chat with matron she'll get you some maids to help you wash up and find some clean clothes. Chancellor!" he called. The Chancellor came and smiled at Terra. "See that she's taken care of." Edgar said as he walked away.

"Yes, your majesty." The Chancellor said with a small bow. Terra looked sadly after the King. Should she have been flattered? She wasn't. He didn't seem to understand what she was saying, but then again she wasn't exactly sure herself.

Edgar exited the hall to find Locke. "Rusty…" He said shaking his head. Locke appeared in front of him and smirked.

"Sounds like the charm didn't get you very far." He said. Edgar smiled ruefully.

"No, she won that round. Help me out by telling me about her. She obviously fits Banon's description. Is she dangerous?" Edgar asked. Locke shrugged.

"As far as I can tell she's not. She claims she doesn't remember anything, and I believe her. She's quiet and listens well. She didn't say much on the journey. She only asked if the Empire was after her. I wasn't sure what to say, and she didn't exactly seem sure why she asked it. Aside from her green hair and the strange rumors she just like any other normal girl would be in her situation. Scared and confused."

Edgar nodded stewing this over.

"Arvis said they had her under some sort of crown that made her follow orders. It seems odd that they would send her out on a mission with it. Did she show any special talents or powers?"

Locke shook his head.

"We didn't run into anything between here and Narshe, and she didn't do anything to save herself from that crazy Narshe guard. There were strange burn marks in the cave, but that could have been from a fire." Edgar frowned. It looked like the rumors about witches might not be true after all. He hoped Banon knew what he was doing. Edgar was sacrificing the safety of his kingdom for this girl.

"So, what does Banon want us to do with her?" Locke asked.

"We're supposed to keep her here till he contacts us, but I've made plans in case the empire gets here before Banon sends word. I need to speak with the chancellor. Go get rested up. I dare say we won't be staying here for very long."


	5. Chapter 5: Sabin

Figaro castle was as dry as it was hot. Terra felt the sun beating down on her and smelt the arid air. The castle was made of some granite like stone that had to have been quarried and brought to the desert. The floors were covered with plush carpets and sand and an occasional desert plant. The castle was full of beautiful tapestries and ornamental statues of great worth. It was also filled to the brink with women Terra noticed as she followed the chancellor through a courtyard and into a room. Many of them were maids who looked like they had way too much time on their hands. Others were ladies dressed in elaborate gowns of silk and satin. Many of them fanned themselves in the heat with elaborate silk fans. The fans stopped and the eyes of the women followed Terra as she continued on her way. They avidly stared at her hair and at her clothes. Some of them sneered, and others snickered, but the general consensus was curiosity. Terra shrunk within herself; doubt gnawing at her stomach.

Where there had once been emptiness there was now a myriad of thoughts and fears bumbling around Terra's head. Confusion dominated her emotions. She couldn't remember anything. She'd never heard of the Empire. She'd never heard of Figaro. She recognized nothing, but at the same time she knew things. She knew that chairs were for sitting, books for reading, and the functions of many other objects. She looked down at her hands and sighed.

"But where do I fit in?" She thought. "What's my function?" And then a hollow feeling in her stomach would develop and she'd try not to think about it.

The room that they entered was large. A canopied bed sat in the corner next to a massive fireplace. A sitting couch sat across the room next to a large desk stacked high with papers. Standing in the middle of the room scolding a young girl was an old and stately lady. Her hair was pulled back in a severe bun of white grey which contrasted with the conservative black dress. Her face was pale, her eyes a deep grey. The only hint of color was a green shawl she wore. Upon their entrance she straightened and shot a piercing glare at the chancellor.

"What now, James?" She said irritably and then noticed Terra. Her lips became a thin disapproving line. "I suppose I am to be saddled with Edgar's latest folly?" She said giving Terra the eye.

"Please Matron, some manners? This is Terra she's from the Empire. Edgar asked me to get her settled in. Nothing elaborate he suspects they'll be leaving soon." The chancellor said sighing.

"Leaving?" Matron hissed raising an eyebrow. "Abandoning is more like it. The fool…" She snapped her fingers. "Mina, go get your ladies in waiting so they can help our esteemed guest bathe and find some decent clothes." The little girl nodded and walked out to the courtyard. The chancellor seeing his opportunity as well headed for the door.

"We just received word that Lord Kefka will be paying a visit." He said opening the door. "Edgar asked that the castle be made ready for his arrival." The Matron raised her eyebrows again. She and the chancellor shared a knowing look which passed quickly.

"Very well, James." She said. The chancellor left and Matron turned her attention toward Terra "The baths are this way."

The baths were large blocks cut into the floor of a large room in the basement. The Matron motioned Terra to the one where four maids were waiting. They were working a pump of some sort and with each pull water gushed from a spout into the pool. The little girl sat at the edge dangling her feet. The maids paused at the sight of Terra's hair, but resumed work quickly after a sharp look from the matron.

"Well? What are you waiting for? Off with your clothes and into the tub." She said snapping her fingers. Terra hesitated and slowly began to undress. Her sense of safety and comfort decreased greatly as she walked down into the tub.

The water was cool, but not cold, and came up above her waist. Terra felt shivers through her body. The water felt good after the hot sun of the Figaronian desert, and it also felt good to get the dirt off of her body. She was just beginning to enjoy the sensation when a bucket of water was dumped on top of her. She gasped as the lady's in waiting attacked her upper body and hair with soap and scrubbers. They weren't rough, just unexpected.

"Look at your hair." One of them exclaimed. "You Vectorians are so strange." She said giggling. The others giggled too.

"What did you do to make it this way?" One asked holding up a lock of hair.

"Ladies! Behave yourselves." Snapped the Matron who was overseeing the whole process, but she smiled as she said it.

"I think it looks pretty." The little girl said smiling at Terra.

"Oh Mina, that's silly." One of the maids chided. "What would you know, you're just a child."

"So!" The girl replied indignantly. "King Edgar thinks I am very smart and pretty! He said he'd marry me when I grew up!" This only brought more peals of laughter from the maids, a snort from the Matron, and another bucket of water over Terra's head.

After the bath Terra found herself sitting at a small table in the room she had originally met the matron at. She was dressed in a white and simple dress with only a white sash as ornamentation. Her hair was done back up in a white clasp. Matron had sat a chair opposite Terra. She was leaning on her cane and eyeing Terra.

"I suppose this will do for now." She sniffed. "Now, tell me why you're here and what your plans are with Edgar." Terra was taken aback at the abruptness of the question and the glare of the old women.

"I… I don't know why I am here. I... I've lost my memory. Edgar said he would keep me safe here. He said he was captivated by my beauty. Does he always do that?" Terra asked. The king's actions towards her had bothered her. They seemed dangerous.

Matron snorted. "Dear, he is notorious for that sort of thing." She said waving her hand. Terra smiled despite the intimidation she felt for this lady. "He wasn't always like this you know." The Matron continued. "He was never like this when his brother was still here."

"He has a brother?" Terra asked.

"Yes, a twin. He left 10 years ago. Oh, how that family loved that boy." The matron said wistfully. "Nothing like his brother mind you." She said pointing her finger at Terra. "No, he was more like his mother: Firm as a mountain and free as a bird."

"What happened to him?"

"When his father died he became sick of the politics of being a monarch. There was much to do on how the kingdom would be split between him and his brother. No one seemed to remember, nor care, that his father had died. After a fight with Edgar he left the castle for good. No one's heard from him since. He was growing into such a nice young man. I wonder how he's changed over the years." Matron said reminiscently. Terra sat in silence feeling a little intrusive until the Matron broke from her reverie. "Well, look at me, blabbing away like a maid. Come on now! I'll show you to your room. I expect Edgar will want to see you sometime tomorrow."

"What about Locke?" Terra asked as she followed the Matron out of the room.

"Bless me if I would know. Thieves don't usually stay in one place, my dear." Matron replied scornfully. Terra followed in silence disturbed by this new information. A thief and a King working together? She felt an impending doom. There was something amiss here and she knew she had something to do with it. She just wished she knew what it was.


	6. Chapter 6: Figaro's Secret

"Do you even realize what is at stake here, Edgar? This is the entire kingdom's lives you're toying with. Not just your own."

"I do realize that my dear matron" Edgar replied.

"Then you'd realize you're throwing away any safeguards we have against the empire for a girl! One measly girl! A girl who has absolutely no value at all!"

Edgar sighed as he looked up at the fuming matron. When he was five she'd yelled at him for playing pranks on his brother. When he was ten she chided him about ease dropping on his parents. When he was 15 she'd threatened that if he didn't pay more attention to his schooling than girls she'd make sure he'd live to regret it, and now, the latest of many admonishment from his beloved caretaker. Except now it didn't mean anything, and the nice thing about being King was you made the final call. Edgar stirred in the throne he was sitting in and shuffled some papers in his lap.

"We don't know for sure if she has no value Matron. Besides, Banon is insistent that we get her to him." Edgar said regretting his words as he said them. Matron seemed to swell like a balloon.

"Banon?" Matron hissed. "All I hear of these days is this Banon. Last time I checked the King ruled the kingdom. Not some man hiding in a cave." She spat. Edgar ignored the jibe. It was one of many.

"Have you called Terra yet?" He asked hoping to get off the subject. Matron glowered at him.

"You're going to go through with this then?" She asked.

"Yes, Matron. We're going to go through with this. If we're lucky, nothing has to change. If we're not so lucky, well then we're prepared. There's nothing to worry about." Edgar said standing up and putting his arms on her shoulders lovingly. "Figaro will be safe." He said. Matron stood stiffly still glaring. Edgar smiled back.

"Now, where's my guest? I want to see how she likes my castle." Matron sniffed and then nodded her head disdainfully at the door where Terra had just entered. She was dressed in a soft blue dress of simple design and her hair was done up with the berets and seashells she'd had when they'd first met. Edgar smiled warmly. He liked the way she held herself and the way her eyes roamed around the room with curiousity. He had a hard time believing she was from the Empire. He was used to direct orders, sneering disdain, and cold business. She was none of these things he thought as he approached her.

"I hope everything has been pleasing to you so far. How do you like my castle?" He asked. Terra smiled hesitantly and was about to reply when the sound of running footsteps interrupted. A foot soldier burst into the room breathing hard and looking around. His eyes settled on Edgar and he stopped and bowed.

"Sir Edgar, An emissary from the Empire is approaching." Edgar took the news in slowly. They had come faster than he had expected.

"They're early" he said to himself, but Matron had heard.

"Of course they're early!" She said in exasperation as she stalked out of the room.

"Who is it? What's going on?" Terra asked. Edgar heard the fear creeping into her voice.

The guard looked expectantly at his King. Coming to some quick decisions Edgar smiled down at Terra.

"It's nothing to worry about. Just Lord Kefka stopping by for a visit. We are allies after all." He said distractedly then he frowned at her. "You look awfully tired, why don't you go rest in your room till I can visit with you again." He suggested to Terra, but to the guard it wasn't a mere suggestion. The guard walked over and stood next to Terra. "My guard here will escort you to your room. So sorry for the interruption." Edgar said bowing and then leaving the room. Terra frowned knowing something was wrong, but not knowing what it was, or what to do about it. The guard bowed and escorted her from the throne room back to her own room. When the door shut Terra could hear him settling himself outside. She was under guard she realized as she sat down on her bed. She wanted answers. Who was this Kefka? Was he after her? Would Edgar hand her back to him? She didn't know. She didn't know who this man was. She didn't know who to trust. She didn't know anything.

Lord Kefka on the other hand knew everything. He knew why he was suffering out here in the heat of the Figaronian Desert. He knew that he was in trouble for losing the girl. He also knew that the first thing he wanted to do when he reached the castle was destroy it. He lumbered under the beating sun; the brightly colored folds of his outfit dragging in the sand while the make-up on his face melted and dripped in waxy globs. His golden hair was frazzled from the heat and his sharp features were contorted into a grimace of rage. He cursed the Narshe miners, he cursed the imperial soldiers, and he cursed that stupid girl for getting away. Then he cursed that imbecile Ghestar for thinking this was his fault. How was he supposed to know the crown would malfunction? This was obviously Cid's fault, yet was Cid stuck ambling through the desert? Unable to contain his rage at his circumstances he stopped his slog through the sand and cursed loudly.

"Damn you Edgar." He yelled into the sky. "Why do you have to live in the middle of a god forsaken desert?" The guards looked uneasily at one another. "These reconnaissance missions are always such a pain." He muttered then sensing the guards' discomfort he turned to look at them. They quickly looked away and Kefka smiled viciously.

"Hey! There's sand on my boots." He yelled at the soldiers. They looked at each other unsure of what to do. Kefka grinned wider. Finally one of the soldiers bent down and wiped the sand off his boot.

"Uh, you're boots are clean sir." Even as he said it more sand had fallen onto the boots. Kefka laughed loudly. It was a horrible laugh. The guards cringed at the sound of it, but this only made Kefka laugh harder. He loved to see people squirm. The dark red slash of his mouth turned down into a sneer as he started forward again. "Useless morons." He said making sure they could hear. The guards hesitated then followed after him.

The castle loomed ahead of them covering the sky. The whirring of the large fans the dominant sound in the area as they worked tirelessly to keep sand out of the castle and the castle's population cool. He walked straight to the door where a soldier stood guard.

"Lord Kefka, what are you doing here today?" One of the guards asked stepping forward with concern. Kefka shoved him roughly aside.

"Out of my way" he said. The guard scrambled aside signaling for the door to be opened. Kefka waited impatiently as the large creaking gears turned and the door reluctantly opened. He marched through the door and into the main courtyard where he saw Edgar coming to greet him. He straightened himself and smiled cruelly.

Edgar felt his stomach knot uncomfortably as he saw Kefka. Only twice in his life had he met this man and neither had been pleasant experiences. Of all the officials to negotiate with Kefka was the worse. He wasn't known for his diplomacy. Edgar stopped unexpectedly as the Kefka's guards prevented him from going further.

"What's this?" Edgar asked surprised.

"The empire has ordered that all parties meeting with imperial officials are to be searched thoroughly for weapons that could be used to harm said imperial officials. Please put your hands in the air." Edgar rolled his eyes in exasperation as the guards searched his body for hidden weapons. More like a chance for the imperial official to get the shot off first. He looked down at the soldiers as they conducted their search.

"It's mighty aggressive of you, coming all the way north armed, despite our alliance." He said half accusingly. The guard snorted.

"Alliance? You must be joking? Not with this tiny country!" He laughed. Edgar frowned.

"I've heard that three cities have been destroyed by your armies already. Just what are you trying to accomplish here?" He said a little more sternly. The guard stopped laughing, but still wore a smirk.

"You don't need to now." He said then walked back to his post. Edgar followed after them till he was face to face with Kefka. The man was a sight. His make-up smudged his hair an unkempt mess, yet he held his dignity and looked condescendingly at Edgar waiting to be addressed.

"What brings Kefka, servant to empire Ghastra to this distant land?" Edgar complied bowing slightly. Kefka lifted his head slightly higher to look down at Edgar.

"A girl, of no importance, recently deserted her duties. We've heard rumors that she fled here." Kefka said airly. Edgar made an effort to look thoughtful about this. Then decided to push some buttons.

"This woman wouldn't happen to be the rumored magic user, would it…?" He asked. Kefka frowned menacingly at him.

"The two are completely unrelated. So, did she come here or not?" He snapped impatiently. Edgar smiled complacently.

"Come now…If this woman were among us, I wouldn't know. I have more women here than I have grains of sand." Edgar knew he was flirting with danger but when he looked at Kefka's face he did not see anger. He saw something much worse. Kefka was grinning gleefully. His mouthed stretched tight showing his teeth.

"If you're hiding something from us, I'd hate to imagine what we'll do to you…" He said in a sing song voice pausing to laugh a little. "Oh, I do hope your beloved Figaro doesn't meet the same fate as our beloved Maranda did." He cackled loudly and his guards cringed. Then he turned with a swirl of yellow and red cloth and exited back into the desert. When Edgar heard the doors clang shut he turned wearily towards the throne room. Locke was sitting comfortably on the step outside the door.

"Wow, that guys got one sick mind." He commented. Edgar nodded distractedly.

"Where's Terra?"

"The guard is coming with her." Locke replied standing and following Edgar into the throne room.

"So, what's the verdict?" Locke continued casually as Edgar settled heavily into his seat. He looked at Locke seriously.

"Be ready." He said as Terra entered the room. Locke grinned and waved at her which brought a smile to her face. Edgar however was looking at her intently, and then he wasn't looking at her at all. His mind was full of turmoil. All these years of hiding. All these years of keeping the Empire out of his land. And now… to end it like this. For this girl. Maybe Matron was right… He looked sidelong at Locke and then at Terra.

"I'd love to talk to you more, but the chancellor and I must plan out a new strategy. It's hard being King sometimes. If you will excuse me…." He said standing and exiting to the inner chamber behind the throne. Terra looked like she was about to protest but Locke grinned at her before she could say anything. "Follow me." He said motioning with his head. Terra frowned as she walked back to the room she'd just been in. Locke entered with her and she turned to face him.

"You can rest easy now. I will…"

"Locke, Matron told me you're a thief. Is that true? I want to know what's going on." She said folding her arms defiantly. Locke gave an exasperated sigh.

"You mean Edgar hasn't told you anything?" Terra shook her head waiting to be told. Locke sighed again. "First and foremost I'm a treasure hunter." He said defensively. Then he continued. "Edgar supports the Empire to the public, but his heart lies with the Returners, an organization opposed to the Empire. I work for him as a contact with that group. The old man in Narshe that saved you is a member of the Returners too." Terra blinked surprised to get the answers so easily, and surprised how little they seemed to help.

"Opposed to the Empire… But I am… I thought I was a soldier in the Empire's army." Locke put his hands on her shoulders comfortingly.

"Terra, the empire was controlling you when you worked for them. That's why you don't remember anything. But that's in the past now. Now you get to make your own decisions." He smiled softly at her. Terra looked sadly into his eyes shaking her head.

"I'm just so confused. I don't know what to do." Locke's face filled with compassion.

"You have to make your own decisions now, but don't worry too deeply about it yet. Someday, you'll find an answer, and you'll know what to do, but for now stay with me. I'll make sure nothing happens to you, ok?" Terra nodded.

"Good! Now listen. Things might get a little hectic here. I want you to sleep in these clothes tonight and be ready to go at a moments notice. I can't say anything is going to happen tonight, but Edgar told us to be prepared." Terra nodded again and Locke smiled patting her shoulder reassuringly. "If anything happens I'll be here to help ok?" Terra nodded her acknowledgment and watched as Locke left.

She looked at the clothes by her bed. Soft leather pants, a warm shirt, a jacket, and a cloak along with some heavy boots. These were traveling clothes. She discarded her dress and put the clothes on except for the boots. Then she crawled into bed and tried to will the questions out of her mind, but to no avail. Her last thoughts as she fell asleep were Locke's words. "It's my decision." She thought and then drifted to sleep.

The first shot came a little after Edgar had finally willed himself to sleep. His eyes fluttered open and he jolted out of bed. He flew out of the room barreling into the Chancellor who was rushing toward him. He grabbed the older man by the shoulders.

"Now, James! Go!" He said fiercely. The chancellor nodded and headed down toward the basement of the castle. Edgar watched him go then turned and ran out to the main courtyard. Flames danced in the desert night burning the plants and carpets. Destroying the tapestries. Soldiers ran around trying to put out the flames, but there wasn't enough water at hand and the fire seemed resistant to whatever water they did throw at it. Edgar felt a hot rush of anger pulse through his body. He hadn't expected such an outright attack. His eyes shot to Kefka who sat surveying the holocaust with an expression of satisfaction bordering on glee. He strode forward to Kefka whose grin became wider and more ugly upon seeing him.

"What the hell is going on? I thought we were allies?" Edgar's voice was tight with anger and his fists were clenched at his sides. Kefka ceased to grin and said in a demanding voice.

"Bring the girl to me! Now!" He said.

"I don't know who she is" Edgar attempted one last feign, but knew it wouldn't work. Kefka smiled and laughed.

"Then welcome to my barbeque" he said darkly. Edgar cursed under his breath then walked to a guard standing behind him.

"Get ready." He muttered to the guard. The guard nodded and scurried off through the flames. Edgar took a deep breath before turning to face Kefka.

"Have you decided to surrender then?" He asked smirking. Edgar looked one last time at his burning castle.

"It seems I have no choice…" He replied and then bolted toward the castle wall. Mounting the wall he looked down at the chocobo below. "Then again" He yelled at Kefka. "Maybe I do."He jumped from the wall and landed onto the chocobo's back. The chocobo squawked at the sudden burden that fell upon him and then bolted forward as Edgar spurred him.

Kefka had come over the edge and watched as the King's chocobo dashed from the castle.

"Ack! Shameful! The king is running away like a petty soldier! How delightful." He laughed loudly and then stopped as he heard a whistle from the other side of the castle. His gaze followed the sound and that's when he saw her. Standing next to another man, her green hair whirling in the wind, he watched as they jumped from a ledge onto another pair of chocobos. He ran back toward the front doors screaming at the soldiers, who were now mounted in magitek armors, to stop shooting at the castle. The soldiers looked confused until Kefka pointed viciously at the fleeing chocobo's. The soldiers slowly maneuvered their armors around to follow. How could this have happened Kefka screamed in his mind. The sound of a trumpet pealed through the night and Kefka felt the castle begin to rumble and shake. He looked around for the source of the rumbling and realized that the castle was moving, no, sinking into the earth. He saw soldiers rushing into the inner chambers of the kingdom. The doors clanged shut and locked tightly. Soon Kefka was the only person remaining in the courtyard. He bolted toward the front door which was closing and narrowly slid through it. As the door shut the first sands spilled into the courtyard smothering the fires. From the highest tower he saw one man standing.

"Into the golden ocean Figaro castle nobly descends! Long live Figaro. Long live the King." He shouted. Another blast from the horn replied in answer. The chancellor smiled. "Good luck Edgar" he said quietly and then descended into the castle pulling the hatch closed tight behind him. Figaro sank deeper and deeper until it disappeared completely into the sands. Kefka's eyes bugged at the sight and then he screamed angrily into the night.

"I'll kill them. I'll kill them all!" He screamed. He panted with his rage and then began to chant some strange words. He felt the magic swirl around him as he dissipated hurtling back towards Vector.

Despite their head start Edgar knew there'd be trouble with the magitek armors. They barreled along clumsily in the sand, but they moved at a steady pace. It would only be a matter of time before they'd have them in range. He reached down and pulled out the crossbow stowed in the chocobo's pack.

The first shot from the magitek fired with a sharp crack. A bright blue-white light shot into the sand and missed Locke's chocobo's feet by inches. The chocobo's were veering out of control as more shots were fired.

"Dismount!" Edgar yelled sliding off his crazed chocobo. He loaded his crossbow and took aim at the nearest armor. He pulled the trigger and a volley of arrows sped straight into the man's chest. He screamed looking down at the shafts sticking out from him and then slumped forward onto the control panel. The armor slowed to a stop no longer receiving orders. The other armor however was right on them now, and was angrily shooting off several shots. Edgar jumped out of the way feeling a searing pain across his arm. He rolled on the ground and reached for some more arrows for his crossbow.

"Locke! Buy me some time" He yelled. Locke nodded and charged at magitek. He halted and threw his dagger at the man in the armor. He'd hoped to dispatch the man but the blade flew into his shoulder instead. The soldier grunted with pain and looked in Locke's direction. Locke turned to run but tripped in the sand. He lay there sprawled on the ground as the magitek guns fired up once more.

The guard's arm reached for the button to fire, but it never got there. In an instant the guard went up in flames. He screamed trying to release himself from the machine, but to no avail. Locke looked on trying to figure out what had happened. He looked back and saw Terra watching the burning man in horror. Then he heard Edgar screaming at them.

"Down! Get down! She's going to…" but Locke didn't hear the last word. The armor went up in a massive explosion. He covered his head as pieces of metal flew up into the air and a blast of heat singed his body. Chaos reigned around him for what seemed like hours and then cleared. The armor sat there; a charred piece of metal smoking up into the clear desert sky. He looked at the other armor. It was still sitting there glowing eerily with the dead man inside. He pulled himself up and looked for Terra and Edgar. He saw Edgar heading towards him holding his arm. He found Terra a few feet away lying in the sand knocked out cold. He sighed and sat down next to her feeling exhausted. Edgar slumped down beside him. He was staring at the girl with a strange look.

"What's wrong with you?" Locke asked breathing heavily.

"You didn't see what she did?" He asked. Locke shook his head.

"I watched her scream something and then that man just burst into flames." Edgar whispered harshly. Locke whistled at the news.

"That's interesting…" was all he could think to say. Edgar looked like he was about to pop.

"Interesting?" He said incredulously. "Locke that was magic!" He said. "M. A. G. I. C" He said spelling it out for him. Locke rolled his eyes at him.

"Don't be ridiculous. It was probably a malfunction in the machine. You saw how hard they were pushing them." Edgar glared at him. "Ok... ok… so maybe it was magic." He said looking warily at Terra. "That's probably why Banon wants her, right?" Edgar sighed.

"Arvis told me that she had reacted strangely to the Esper, but I didn't believe him. I just didn't think it was possible." He said quietly.

Terra lay there with her eyes closed. She'd been listening to the whole conversation. She understood now. She saw the man's face; that cruel, evil man. His laugh had made her body run chill and her mind go blank. And then… she remembered. The crown, the soldiers, flames burning. She'd seen that soldier getting ready to fire at Locke and her mind went blank, and the next thing she knew he was burning. Burning just like the rest of them.

She felt Locke shake her arm gently and she opened her eyes.

"Hey, you alright?" He asked as she sat up. His clothes were singed and his body seemed tender. She looked at Edgar. He sat nursing her arm and looking at her intently his lips pressed together.

"Everyone's ok Terra. You saved us… I think" He said trailing off. Terra looked at the blackened machine and then quickly looked away.

"Terra? Where did you learn how to do that?' Edgar asked sharply. Terra looked at him fearfully.

"…I'm sorry… I…" was all she could think to say. Locke shot Edgar a nasty look.

"Look, now don't get us wrong. You just surprised us…" Locke said consolingly. Edgar shook his head.

"Indeed, indeed. I've never seen magic before and it quite startled me, but Terra, where did you learn to?" Edgar asked and then stopped. Terra was holding herself and looking at the ground.

"Enough Edgar" Locke said. "Terra has magic powers and we don't. We need her help right now, and it doesn't matter that she has them anyway" Terra looked gratefully at Locke.

"Thank you Locke, Thank you Edgar." She said to both of them. Edgar sighed and stood up slowly.

"If we head back to where the castle was we should find the chocobo's there. They'll have run home. I don't know about you Locke, but I could use a potion right about now." Locke chuckled appreciatively.

"Are you hurt?" Terra asked worriedly. Locke shook his head while standing up.

"Nothing a potion won't fix up." He said hold out a hand for her. She took his hand and stood up, but when she was on her feet she didn't let go. She took a deep breath, closed her eyes and then slowly let the breath out. Locke felt a lightness fill his body and he watched as a strange light surrounded him. When it dissipated he felt all his aches and pains disappear with it. He looked at her in awe, but Terra just smiled. She walked over to Edgar took his arm and put her hands over it. The same green light swirled around the wound and when she lifted her hands the wound was gone." Edgar looked at his arm in amazement and then at Terra.

"I learned how to do it when that man at Narshe attacked me. It's the least I can do." She said quietly. Edgar smiled at her and put his hand through her arm leading her towards the castle.

"Terra, There's someone I'd like you to meet. You see Locke and I are members of the Returners. The Returners are…"

"She knows already." Locke interrupted. "I told her." Edgar looked patronizingly at Locke.

"Ok, then. Our leader Banon, is very, interested in you. That's why we've been asked to bring you to him. I'm almost certain he thinks your powers will help us turn the tides of this war. Terra, you have magic power, and the Esper reacted to your presence. There must be some relation."

"I don't have any idea what it might be. I don't know where these powers came from. I just… can use them… that's all." Terra said.

"Yes, but ordinary people don't have magic power at their disposal. How…" Terra disengaged herself from his arm stung by the slur.

"Are you saying I'm not normal?" Terra asked. Edgar shuffled uneasily.

"Look Terra I'm sorry." He began, but Terra shook her head.

"I don't know what to do. I don't know why I have these powers. I didn't want any of this!" Locke and Edgar were silent.

"The empire will just continue to pursue you relentlessly Terra. If they catch you again and take over the world all is lost. Terra, we want to find out the true nature of your powers as much as you do. I think Banon can help us with that. He's a very wise man." Edgar said. Locke came up next to her.

"Please Terra, we're begging you. We just want to help." Locke said, but Terra didn't answer. The warble of a chocobo interrupted the silence. Edgar whistled and they came over to them.

"We should head south now. We'll head toward South Figaro. It should be safe for a little while." He said as he mounted onto the chocobo. He put his crossbow back into the pouch. "You don't need to rush with your decision, Terra." He said from the chocobo. "But the fact of the matter is; Banon will probably be able to help you understand your powers more than anyone else." Terra nodded as Locke helped her onto the chocobo. When everyone was mounted and ready to go Edgar turned back towards Terra."You'll love South Figaro by the way. They have great wine there and gorgeous women" Edgar laughed and Locke rolled his eyes kicking his chocobo into a trot and heading south. In the distance a mountain range loomed ominously. Terra kicked her chocobo and followed.

"It's my decision, but how do I know if its the right decision?" She thought to herself, and not for the last time either.


	7. Chapter 7: Lost Treasure

The early morning fog was lifting from the green fields as the sun rose higher in the sky. The birds were twittering and the grass was swaying easily in the breeze. Slowly, South Figaro came to life. Merchants began pulling out their wares, sailors could be found unloading the latest shipment, and the majority of the villagers were just stirring in their warm beds. The fog drifted lazily throughout the village until great golden shafts of sunlight broke through the haze and the city awoke.

South Figaro, though nothing compared to the older and larger towns of the southern continent, was a large town for the area, and prosperous as well. Imported goods from Nikeah created a high standard of living for most of the inhabitants and the technological advancements received from Figaro castle made the city almost as modern as Vector itself, or so the people would like to believe. The truth of the matter was that South Figaro was still a small town where people were still kind, and children could run through the streets without fear of danger. The technology was often times more quirky than impressive, but the people lived well and they were happy – and busy. Despite their humble beginnings the people of South Figaro were very industrious. The layout of the city was designed in the most modern of fashions. The cobblestones were still shiny and new and the buildings had some of the most innovative designs in the world. Man-made canals where fresh water flowed from the foothills gurgled happily throughout the day feeding the vegetation that was planted all over the city. Every morning the merchants set up shop on the long street that led into the great city. Fresh exotic fruits from Nikeah, fish, trinkets, tools, if you needed it the merchants probably had it. At the harbor the sailors were busy unloading each new boat that arrived and preparing the other boats to send back to Nikeah. There was a loud commotion of people hollering, bartering, laughing, and singing that seemed to mesh into one great din of sound. It was defiantly a sight to see, and Terra found it utterly fascinating.

The three of them had spotted South Figaro from atop of a hill earlier that morning. Terra had seen it buried in a white haze. Sea gulls swooping by the harbors and smoke snaking upward from the chimneys were the only movements visible in the otherwise still sleeping town. When they had arrived at the main street the town was no longer sleeping. Terra gazed at the jumble of people milling about in the market place. Men, women children of every shape, age and size went about their business. Terra found herself following Locke into the busy street smiling till she felt a tug and felt the hood go over her head. She turned to see Edgar who had his hood up as well.

"Wouldn't do good to cause a commotion." He said smiling shortly and then continuing on. It was true that word had only barely come in about the Imperial attack on Figaro castle and being spotted with the King would probably stop everybody in their tracks. Not to mention the fact that the King had no guard or escort. The townspeople would probably be either very concerned or very suspicious, both of which would attract unwanted attention. But that did not explain why Edgar had put her hood up. He had let Locke melt into the crowd without a second glance, but then Terra remembered the girls in the bathing room. Their comments on the color of hair rang in her head, and she realized with a sinking feeling that she could never truly be apart of this conglomeration of people. Like Edgar she could never truly blend in. She followed Edgar deeper into the mess of people solemnly till she felt a nudge on her shoulder, and turned to Locke who held two apples in his hand.

"Breakfast." He said crunching into the apple, and handing her the other. Terra smiled suspicious of where breakfast came from, but not saying anything.

"Come this way, Terra, I want to show you something" Locke said taking her arm and leading her diagonally through the crowd till they reached a booth. A middle aged man with a brutish face sat under a shaded canopy behind a table littered with jewels. Upon seeing Locke his face grew into a smile.

"Locke! My good man" He said coming out from behind the table and thumping Locke on the back. "How is the old treasure hunter anyways? Got some new goods for me?" Locke grinned back and shook his head.

"No, not today, I just wanted to show my friend here some of the treasures I dug up." Locke said looking at the wares. The man guffawed heartily.

"I gotcha mate." He said. "Hunting a different treasure today eh?" He winked suggestively. "Well here let me show ya." He moved back behind the table and brought out some old looking necklaces. "These here are downright ancient, and worth a fortune too, but I'll cut you a deal today, cause of my friend Locke here, seeing as he brought them to me in the first place." He said laying out the old necklaces. Terra looked at them and smiled.

"They are all beautiful." She said sliding her finger across a gold chain.

"See that one." Locke said pointing to one with a large sapphire surrounded by pearls. "I found that in a desert tomb. Man, was that exciting…" Terra listened as Locke continued on with his story until an uneasiness settled on her. She looked up to see the merchant looking at the pendent she wore around her neck.

"Now I say, lady. If that ain't a beautiful necklace you have on right there. Caught yourself a rich one eh Locke?"

"Huh… what?" Locke said stopping his monologue. The man pointed at Terra's pendant.

"Did you find that one for her, Locke? Shortin' me out on business are you?" He said laughing happily. "Now I see what you do with your best finds." Locke looked from the man to Terra with a bewildered look on his face.

"No. I didn't find that. It's hers." He said. The man's face perked up at this and Terra felt her hand go instinctively to the pendant.

"Well what do you say miss? I'll buy that necklace off from you for a jolly good price. How much do you want for it? I do say I've never seen a gem quite like it. See how it kind of changes colors…"

"It's not for sell." A cold voice came from behind them. Edgar approached the booth glaring at Locke.

"Well, that's a pity." The merchant said looking longingly at the necklace. Then he promptly turned his attention to Edgar. "Well since I have you here can I interest you in any of these fine looking necklaces?"

"No." Edgar said then paused looking at the sapphire with the pearls. "That's an interesting piece you have there." He said pointing at it. The man's face lit up.

"It sure is. Why it's from the very dunes of the great Figaronian desert. Must be thousands of years old."

"Hundreds actually." Edgar said dryly picking up the necklace. "How much do you want?"

"1000 gold pieces."

"Outrageous." Edgar objected. "The pearls are damaged by sand and the sapphire's been scratched. 500." The man frowned.

"'Fraid I can't sell it to you for less than 750 sir."

"600." Edgar replied.

"You've got yourself a deal sir!" the merchant said as Edgar dug out the coins. He paid the man who thanked him kindly. Then pulled Locke aside and started talking and pointing at his recently purchased necklace. Seeing that the conversation wasn't a happy one Terra stood back and looked out into the crowd. She was just thinking how nice it would be to take a rest when she felt something snuffling at her feet. A massive black dog stood next to her wagging his tail seemingly interested in a scent near or around her for he kept sniffing all around. He snuffled right into her feet and looked up at her wagging his short stubby tail. Terra stood still not sure what to do. Suddenly a sharp whistle sounded and the ears on the dog perked up. Terra watched him run into the crowd to a man dressed in a black traveler's cloak. For a moment their eyes met, and Terra felt her blood run chill. Before she could think anything more the man had melted into the crowd and try as she might she couldn't find him even with his big black cloak.

Locke approached her grinning sheepishly followed by Edgar.

"Well I don't know about you, but I'm ready to find some real breakfast." Locke said rubbing his hands together.

"We'll head over to the inn and check in Edgar said sliding the necklace into his pouch and throwing a glare at Locke. "This way." Terra waited till Edgar had moved up a way before she asked Locke what Edgar had been talking about. Locke grinned again and rubbed the back of his head.

"Oh, that necklace he bought? Well, turns out it was some sort of national treasure of Figaro or something like that." He shrugged "Who knew?" He said laughing. Terra laughed too and realized it was the first time she could ever remember doing so. Locke was smiling at her, she was smiling back, and a warm feeling was settling in the bottom of her stomach. She didn't know what it was, but she knew that she never wanted it to leave; which was why she decided she would go with Locke to see Banon. "I'll go where you go Locke," she thought silently. "I'll go wherever this feeling takes me…"

A/N: Sorry for such a short post and such a long wait. I'm really busy with finals this semester, but that should be done here in a week or so. Then I'll really start cranking out the chapters. Thanks for reading! Naturally comments or questions are welcome and appreciated.


	8. Chapter 8: Into the Mountains

The inn of South Figaro was a lot like many other inns found throughout the world. The only difference was that it was bigger, more lavishly decorated, offered top notch service, and even sported an attached pub complete with 25 different imported wines and ales and service from beautiful South Figaronian girls. In this way the inn wasn't quite like all the other inns found throughout the world, it was better, which was the owners plan all along.

The inn, much like the rest of the town, was owned partly, if not wholly, by the rich man up north. Being a true businessman he knew how to play the market: spend a little more money to make it look nice, add a little more service, double the price and you've made yourself a profit. But over the looks and the service the most profitable aspect of this particular inn was the pub.

Unlike most pubs around town this one held an air of prestige and was open to all the public. Since most of the well to do tradesman lodged in this inn, the pub became a prime market place in of itself. After their shops had closed and their duties were done, workers entered to share a drink and maybe a cigar with a client or seller to officially seal a deal. Young girls came in packs to see all the young foreign sailors, and decide which one they thought was the cutest, and many other people came to enjoy the music and company.

And then, after the deals had been made, hearts had been broken, and cigars and drinks depleted the respectable folk went off to their warm beds to sleep off the alcohol they had just consumed. But even then the bar did not close. A new breed of customers came in. Hunters and trappers with wild and hairy faces, criminals, thieves, and assassins would enter and nurse a drink or two. They never talked to one another, never bothered to ask. These were private and dangerous men who drank quietly and left in silence.

The bar was never full of these people. Perhaps one or two a night, but the few drinks they bought were enough to pay a poor girl's wages for watching the pub. As the bar emptied out once more that night, a woman with curly golden hair entered the bar and relieved the old bar tender of his duties. She was a young woman, though not necessarily poor, who worked the night shift more for adventure than for money. She'd learned that if you gave a man enough to drink you could learn his life story. All his adventures, loves, crimes, and sins would pour from the man's mouth as steady as the ale flowed from the bottle. Many a man had she done this with, and she enjoyed it. She enjoyed hearing of lives more exciting than her own.

On this particular night though there was only one man in the pub. He sat in the corner with his head covered by a cloak, sipping an ale and eyeing the young girl. It only took her one look to come over to him.

"What can I get for you, darling?" She said leaning her hips on the small table. A flicker of a smile could be seen from the hidden face.

"Another beer please? And one for yourself." The man said sliding the coins onto the table.

"Why thank you sir." She said taking the coins. She walked to the bar filled two mugs and returned sitting herself across from the small table. The man smiled and took a sip from his drink.

"Must be pretty lonely working all night by yourself." He said after awhile. The girl smiled prettily.

"Not half as lonely as sitting here getting drunk all by yourself." She countered sweetly. The man chuckled.

"I'm honored to be able to spend it with such a beautiful company." He said. The girl felt her cheeks redden slightly and her stomach knot. She could feel his knees softly grazing hers underneath the table. Her eyes lingered on the arm that lay lazily across the table. Strong clean hands, she saw, and a strong arm. Not the usual criminal fare she was used to seeing. It wouldn't have been the first time she had been hit on by strange men, but this one was different. He didn't talk like a criminal, and he didn't look like a criminal. In fact he didn't seem dangerous at all. If anything she felt a strong attraction to him. She shifted her legs so they touched his and he smiled.

"What brings you to south Figaro?" She asked.

"Oh you know, just passing through. I work at the castle as an engineer. Sometimes they send me down here to get parts."

"But I thought Figaro sank into the desert!" She said

"So, it has. I'm going up there to wait for it to come back up. Surely it will you know, they can't stay under the desert forever." The girl looked uncomfortable.

"But the desert is dangerous." She said placing her hand over his. "You should stay here in South Figaro till more news has come." He picked up her hand and kissed it causing her to blush furiously.

"And perhaps stay here to keep you company on these late nights?" He asked.

"I'd be honored if you did." She said sincerely. At this the man laughed happily and she smiled back.

"How about another drink?" He said handing her some more money. She took the money and refilled the drink. This time, however, she sidled herself onto the chair next to him. He slung his arm around the chair and slid her closer till she was half on his seat and half on hers and terribly close to him. He leaned over and kissed her softly on the cheek.

"It's important that I get back to Figaro. The Empire will soon be at our doors again and Figaro must be ready. It's a possibility that the Empire will attack South Figaro as well, and if it does I would like to fight for your honor. Instead of stealing it..." He said running a finger down her neck." At this the girl frowned.

"I don't think there will be much fighting. The rich man up north deals a lot of trade with the Empire. My cousin is a maid at his house and she said that General Leo himself was there conducting business. Imagine doing business with someone like General Leo." She sighed and leaned into the man's arms which were unusually stiff. "Is something wrong?" She asked. The man sighed and relaxed.

"Nothing's wrong. You are right. South Figaro and the Empire seem to have a truce. I was just sorrowful that I wouldn't be able to fight for your honor." He said. The girl giggled and snuggled closer.

"You don't have to fight for me, sir."

"Good, because I'm a lover not a fighter." At this the girl's body tingled with excitement as she felt him kissing the side of her face. She turned her head until the lips met and she felt herself melt into him. The kiss seemed longer than it was but finally they disconnected. The man was smiling and the girl was breathing rather heavy.

"You're a dream come true." She breathed. The man only laughed. The girl sat up and looked at him.

"You remind me of someone you know," She said peering keenly at him.

"Do I?" The man asked amused.

"Yes, your voice is very familiar. There was a man who used to visit South Figaro from time to time. One of those monks, never could get him to buy a drink, he came mostly to visit his master for training." She said.

"This wouldn't be the martial arts master named Duncan I keep hearing about would it."

"The very same." The girl replied. "Except now they say he is dead. Killed by his own son." She said shaking her head.

"That is unfortunate. Are his students always this dangerous?" The man asked.

"Well, no. They're usually very kind. Part of their training, I suppose. They'd often go up into the mountains for a long period of training and then come back to town for more training. They were up in the Saber mountains when Duncan was killed. I haven't seen any of them since the news came down. You'd think that his wife would be in a state, but she calmly denies that he's dead and goes about her business. Poor thing..."

"Whose wife?" The man asked.

"Duncan's. She lives at the southern end of town. It must take a lot of love to be in love with someone who's never there."

"Yes, a terrible thing." The man said pulling her close. They sat there for a while longer till finally the man lifted the girl off of him and bid her goodnight.

"You're leaving?" She asked sadly.

"Yes, I have a long journey tomorrow, but I thank you for tonight, it truly was a dream." He said bending down and kissing her deeply on the lips. They parted without another word, and the man walked to his room where his two companions were sleeping.

He gathered a piece of parchment and a pen and wrote, "South Figaro has been bought. Do not send aid." He rolled the parchment up and tied it off with some string and placed it on his bed stand for the morning. He undressed himself and slid into bed. They'd leave first thing in the morning, after he had talked to Duncan's wife.

Locke was still yawning, and shivering, when he found himself standing in front of a small cottage. The old woman who had opened the door looked surprised to see three strangers in front of her house, two of which were hidden by cloaks, but she recovered fast.

"Can I help you?" She said almost coolly. Edgar bowed slightly and asked to talk. The lady gave one last doubtful look at the three then opened the door. She waited for everyone to enter then followed behind seating them at a small table. She set out some cups and deftly poured tea from a boiling kettle. Edgar and Terra took theirs silently, but Locke almost saluted the lady with gratitude. He took a sip, felt the warming liquid spread through his body, and sighed smiling gratefully at the lady. The lady smiled and then sat down.

"We're heading through the Saber mountains, but have heard some disconcerting rumors." Edgar said. I'm deeply sorry about your husband's death…"

"Don't be foolish, he's not dead." The lady interrupted blowing on her tea. Edgar paused and then continued.

"We heard rumors of foul play, and were worried about the safety of our travels." Edgar explained.

"You have no need to fear the monks who follow Duncan's teachings." She said shortly.

"But we heard that Duncan's own son was his father's murderer…" Edgar stopped short realizing the implications of that sentence. The lady shot a glowering look.

"You have no need to fear the monks who follow Duncan's teachings. As for other men…" She trailed off and took a sip of her tea.

Edgar looked at Locke and Locke shrugged. The lady put her cup down and smiled politely.

"If you're looking to make your journey more comfortable I would suggest that you head northwest till you come to a small cottage. It was used by the monks as a place of rest when they needed it. I'm sure you will find it desirable after a long day's journey. As for the danger of the mountains, I suggest you prepare for the worst. The weather this time of year tends to cause mudslides. Other than that you should be safe. Not all of the monks have lost their way." She looked sad for only a second, but then composed herself and offered them more tea. Locke was about to accept when Edgar declined and thanked her for her time.

Once outside the three bid the old lady farewell and continued outside of town. Edgar began to brood as soon as they were walking, and Terra followed mutely behind. Locke wasn't feeling too great himself having been shorted a free cup of tea, but after a while he cheered himself up by tugging on Terra's hood.

"No need to hide now. We're out in the open." He said smiling.

"Oh." Was all Terra said before smiling gratefully back. Edgar removed his hood shortly after as well and they continued their trek through a pleasantly mild day. They traveled along a small path that cut its way across a wide meadow, and then found themselves climbing into the foothills of the Saber mountain range. When the actual mountains came in to view, Locke explained to Terra how to see where caves were from a distance."

"Find a cave and you're one step closer to treasure." He said happily as they climbed higher. The trip was pleasant, but tiring. They rested a little, only once in fact, for lunch. The pace wasn't grueling, but it was tedious, and they were all happy to see the structure of a small house in the waning light of the day.

A welcoming sight it was indeed, and even more welcome when they realized it had recently been inhabited. The stove still had glowing embers, and the house was nice and cozy. Tea had been made on the stove and only needed to be reheated. They all sat gratefully on the beds and relaxed their tired feet. All of them were very tired, but Terra most of all. She was asleep before dinner could be made and it was all Locke could do to wake her up to eat something. After dinner they all retired to bed and didn't stir until the warm sun filtered into the room.

Breakfast and tea were served, and Locke couldn't help but notice Edgar's interest in the china, or the fact that he constantly seemed to be sniffing the tea as if it held some sort of secret. When he saw Edgar engrossed with the flowers on the table he knew he had to do something.

"What's wrong with you? Did they put something in this tea?" He asked.

"No. I don't think so. It's just… this place reminds me of someone." Edgar replied absently.

"Old girlfriend?" Locke ventured grinning.

"Not quite." Edgar replied sourly and walked away from the flowers.

After they had cleaned up and finished repacking they found themselves outside again in the fresh cool air facing the rising son and heading east. About a mile from the house they ran into an old man. The man tipped his hat and nodded and the others did the same, but Edgar stopped when he came to them.

"Excuse me? Do you know the man who lives in the cottage up yonder?"

"Yah, yah, I know him. He left a day ago after hearing that Master Duncan was killed. Hope he's ok and everything."

"Did you know his name?" Edgar continued.

"Well, no, but he sure looks a lot like you. Almost uncanny-like." The man said peering at Edgar. "You kind of remind me of someone else too. Can't put my finger on it. Ah well. Good luck on your travels."

Edgar thanked the man kindly and continued.

"That was strange." Locke said when no one else had said anything. Edgar didn't reply and Terra only smiled. Locke sighed.

They started to really climb into the mountains around midday and were grateful for the shade of the caves that protected them from the beating sun. Locke, being accustomed to traveling through mountains, kept his eyes out for the usual dangers. He noticed many birds in the sky, none of them very nice looking. They only caused them trouble once, but after Edgar shot a volley of arrows at them they contented themselves with glowering from their perches on the mountain. Great beasts lumbered around the grassy areas between mountains and seemed uninterested in them. Perhaps the closest shave was when Terra got too close to the Telarium vines. They'd entangled her legs and were reaching for more before Locke and Edgar cut her free. Locke scrambled through his pack for an antidote for the poison, but when he returned he found Terra to be perfectly alright. She couldn't explain why and refused to believe she'd been poisoned at all. Locke shrugged and put the antidote back. The only other strange thing was that they seemed to be only a few hours behind another traveler. Edgar pushed the pace in hopes of catching up with the stranger, but the stranger always managed to be a step ahead. Locke thought it was better to leave the man be, but Edgar persisted until they'd reached the peak.

The day was beginning to fade and a cold wind had started to blow. They sheltered inside a cave taking turns sleeping and lookout.

When Edgar woke up to relieve Locke's shift Locke stayed awake a while longer.

"So what's the big rush with finding that traveler? I think we've wiped Terra out." He said to Edgar. Edgar looked at the sleeping figure of Terra. Locke had taken her watch, and Edgar didn't blame him. Neither of them had had the heart to wake her.

"I bet it was those Telarium vines." Locke continued, "I knew I should have made her drink that antidote. Well, I hope she sleeps it off." Locke said, but Edgar shook his head.

"She healed herself while you were going to get the antidote. Just like she healed you and me in the desert. More magic I suppose. She still seems shy about it, so I decided not to say anything." Edgar explained.

"Oh, well that makes sense." Locke said. "Anyways you avoided my question."

Edgar shifted uncomfortably, "I just don't like surprises. I keep expecting an ambush or something…"

"Well, I suppose if they wanted to ambush us they would have done so by now." Locke said leaning back and stretching. As he did so a noise sounded outside of the cave. Edgar and Locke held perfectly still until they realized it was just the wind. Then they both chuckled softly.

"I suppose you're right." Edgar said. "You should probably get some sleep now though. Seeing as you pulled a double shift." Locke nodded and crawled into a sleeping bag next to Terra. Edgar sighed silently. He hadn't really told Locke the truth about his motives for finding the traveler. All the talk in south Figaro, the waitress, and the man on the road. Apparently there was someone who looked just like him and the only person who looked just like Edgar was his brother, Sabin. He hardly dared to hope, but the facts just kept pointing in the same direction. Martial arts were just the thing Sabin would do, and Edgar never believed he would stray too far from home. It had been ten years, ten long years. There was always a nagging at the back of his head though. If the man were Sabin wouldn't he have recognized him? Surely the man ahead had seen them. Why didn't he wait? Edgar tried to forget about it and focus his mind on getting to Banon, after all wasn't destroying the empire more important than reuniting with his brother. Shouldn't Figaro come before himself? In all other aspects of his life this had been so, but in this case, Edgar knew it wasn't.

Edgar woke the other two probably earlier than he should have, but he couldn't help it. He knew the more they waited the farther away the man that could be his brother was moving away from them. Terra didn't complain, but Locke seemed a little perturbed about it. Edgar was grateful he didn't say anything though.

They were relieved to see that the climbing was over and that they were now spiraling down around the mountains to lower ground. It was with some disappointment to Edgar that there was no sign of their mysterious traveler. His eyes scanned for tracks, but there were none visible.

"I think we're almost at the bottom now." Locke said to Terra as the angle of their decline evened out. Terra smiled and looked hopefully ahead and then frowned.

"I think there's someone over there." She said pointing forward.

Edgar felt his heart skip a beat as his eyes followed Terra's hand to the man standing ahead. It had to be him. No distinct features could be made at this point, but he wasn't moving anymore. In fact he seemed to be standing and waiting. There was a cave opening in which he stood resolutely in front of. As if guarding it, Edgar thought to himself, somewhat uneasily.

"Well, it looks like he's waiting for us or something" Locke said looking puzzled.

"Do you think it's safe?" Terra asked uncertainly.

"We won't know till we get there." Locke said.

"And we have to keep going anyways. We can't turn back." Edgar said shifting his pack and striding forward to the figure.

As they got closer it became very apparent that the man was not Sabin. In fact he could have been described as the exact opposite of Sabin. He was a large man, strongly built, with dark brown skin. Thick black hair was slung into a ponytail, and the only clothes that adorned the man were the baggy cotton pants that were tied to his waist with a blue scarf. He watched them steadily as they approached and with each step his face became more foreboding.

When they were face to face he folded his arms across his chest and said in a deep rich voice, "Why are you following me?" His eyes cut to Edgar and narrowed sharply. "Sabin sent you, didn't he?" He said with a snarl. Edgar dropped his pack hardly believing his ears.

"Sabin? Is Sabin nearby?" Edgar said almost excitedly. The man's lip curled and before any of them realized what was happening he had jumped smashing into Edgar's face with a clenched fist. Edgar flew backwards into Terra who was standing behind and they both fell to the ground.

"What the hell?" Locke said his hand reaching for his dagger. The man smiled a cruel grin.

"He only got what he deserved. I am Vargas, as you well know. Typical of Sabin to send others to do his dirty work. No, matter, I will kill you and then him when the coward sees fit to show his face." Locke stepped back dagger in his hand while Vargas settled into a fighting stance. "I see I am outnumbered, I think we should even the odds don't you?" He made some clicking noises with his tongue which was answered by a low grumble from inside the cave. Two large bears lumbered out, looking very unhappy. Vargas laughed.

"Get them." He said and the bears as if they understood came running at Locke. Locke gripped his dagger ready to slash at the first bear, but it never came to him. A volley of arrows whistled past and struck the bear which roared mightily even as a great burst of flame erupted around him. The bear roared in agony and ran madly about; the second bear however was on Locke now. Locke swung his dagger across the bear's snout while sidestepping the bear's sweeping paw. Another volley of arrows sounded and thudded into the bear's side. The bear roared angrily and swung again at Locke knocking him over. Locke found himself overpowered by fangs, claws and fur. He had dropped his dagger when he fell down and was forced to use his hands to keep the bear's jaws away from him. The bear roared angrily and bit down on Locke's arm breaking bone and muscle in the process. Locke screamed out, but it was overpowered by another roar as the bear erupted into flames on top of Locke. The flames licked at Locke's face and body and for a moment Locke thought he would face the same fate as the bear, but then the bear toppled off of him with a large spear protruding from his body. At the other end of the spear was Edgar. He knelt down looking at Locke's arm.

"Edgar, watch out…" Locke mumbled. Edgar turned to meet the fist of Vargas once again. He spun away from Locke blood and spit flying from his face. Locke scrambled away as best as he could clutching his broken arm until he was almost tackled by Terra. She grabbed his arm and he screamed trying to pull away, but she held tightly and soon Locke felt a soothing coolness come from her hands. The arm had mended and even the blood was gone. Terra let go and Locke stood and pulled her behind him. Edgar lay on the ground not moving, and Vargas stood before them rubbing his fists and grinning. Locke reached for his dagger, but it wasn't there. It was lying twenty feet away with the dying bear. He grabbed Terra's sword from her hilt and said,

"If he comes close to us, I want you to torch him, ok?" Terra didn't answer and Locke risked a glance back at her. She was pale and trembling and shaking her head. Vargas crouched into position and then like a cat jumped at Locke. His foot made contact with Locke's head and knocking Locke sideways and onto the ground. Vargas paid him no more attention to him after that. He turned his focus to Terra who stood weaponless before him.

"Well, aren't we a talented little girl." He said. Terra stepped backwards still shaking.

"Terra, torch him!" Locke said picking himself up and running at Vargas from behind; Vargas grinned and swung around to face Locke. Locke took Vargas's elbow full in the face and fell flat onto the ground.

"Fool." Vargas said then turned to Terra grinning sadistically. "Little girls are so fun to break." He said softly taking a step forward.

"That's enough Vargas!" A voice from above the cave said. Vargas swung around. He knew that voice.

At first Terra thought she was hearing Edgar, but when she looked in his direction she saw him still lying on the ground. The owner of the voice stepped forward into the light. He was tall and strong like Vargas, but with light skin and golden hair that was pulled into a short tail at the end. He wore the same cotton pants as Vargas with a purple sash. His eyes surveyed the scene then looked sadly upon Vargas.

"Vargas, why? How could you kill Master Duncan? You were his star pupil, his only son?" Terra took this opportunity to run to Locke who groaned as she pulled him away from the fight.

"Because he decided not to choose me, his own son, to be his successor.

He put me through all of that "training" his beloved child only to reject me in favor of you!" Vargas said sneering at Sabin.

"That's not true." Sabin objected stepping forward. "He chose you."

"Not true? Ha, you're lies are written clearly on your face" Vargas snapped back. "Enough with your nonsense! Now I shall make you pay as well! Feel my superior power!" He yelled. Sabin crouched into a defensive position as Vargas with a clawed hand thrust his arm forward. A wall of wind blasted from his hand and Terra clutched to Locke who clutched to the ground trying to keep from flying off the ground. Sabin took the brunt force of the attack sliding slightly from the impact. When the wind had dissipated, much to Terra's surprise, and Vargas's chagrin, he was still standing.

"Impressive Sabin! Now I understand what father must have seen in you." Vargas yelled. Sabin frowned.

"I guess I'll just have to do this." He said to himself and crouched into an offensive stance.

"Yes! This is fate! And now I shall defeat you for good! This, too, is fate!" Vargas said. Then he bounded at Sabin who stood patiently waiting. Vargas came at him like a freight train. Sabin saw his arms swing down on him as if in slow motion and then, just as they were about to hit he ducked into Vargas's swing and pummeled his fists into his stomach. Vargas stepped back winded and unready for the onslaught of punches and kicks that followed. When the flurry of punches had stopped he found himself on the ground with Sabin on top his aiming a punch at his face.

"Ugh... You already know that skill?" Vargas mumbled and then closed his eyes. Sabin pulled back his fists looking sadly at the battered body. Vargas started coughing and blood dribbled out of his mouth. Terra and Locke sat watching the man as his breathing slowly faded and then stopped altogether. Sabin sighed and closed his eyes.

"Sabin!' Sabin turned his head to the voice and squinted.

"Edgar?" He said as Edgar threw himself at Sabin in a massive bear hug. Terra and Locke watched confounded.

"He must be Edgar's twin." Terra said after a while remembering Matron's words. She stood up helping Locke who only shook his head.

"Oh, they're twins, but one's younger." He said looking at the two reunited brothers. Terra started laughing, it might have been from shock or just sheer gladness to be alive, but she said a little loudly to Locke.

"Little brother? He looks like a body builder who strayed from his gym." She covered her mouth and started laughing. Locke grinned at her until he realized that Sabin had overheard.

"I'll take that as a compliment." He said walking over to them with Edgar beside him. Edgar was smiling so big Terra wasn't sure he was the same person. Terra had stopped laughing and looked a little abashed.

"Thanks for saving us back there." Locke said. Sabin shrugged sadly.

"I'm sorry you had to get mixed up in this mess. What are you doing here in the mountains anyways?" He said turning to Edgar. "Don't you have a kingdom to be running?"

"Figaro has been attacked by the Empire. We're making our way through the Saber Mountains..." Edgar began.

"To the Returner's hideout then?" Sabin said finishing Edgar's sentence. "I see the Empire's started its new campaign. The monks have been watching things heat up for the past little while."

"Now is the time to strike back. The empire will suffer for what it's done to the people." Edgar said fervently.

Sabin looked thoughtful about this. "You think my skills would prove helpful in your efforts?" He asked, bringing a surprised look from Edgar. Sabin continued, "I think using my skills to save the world will fulfill my debt to Master Duncan." He looked down sadly. Edgar nodded and put a comforting hand on his brother's shoulders.

"I can't believe I found you here Sabin. It must be fate." Edgar said almost in awe.

"Maybe, maybe." Sabin agreed, and then smiled. "We should get going then. The sooner we get there the sooner we can rest up, and eat." Sabin laughed as he said this and went and picked up Terra's pack. "We shouldn't run into anymore troubles from here to there. It's just beyond this cavern." Edgar nodded and followed Sabin into the cavern. Terra, who had been following Edgar, slowed down to walk next to Locke.

"I'm sorry." She said to Locke.

"What for?"

"When you told me to fire that man… I just… I couldn't. I tried, but I just couldn't." She said looking at her hands sadly. Locke looked at her.

"Well that's nothing to be sorry for." He said slinging an arm around her shoulder.

"Locke, what if they're gone? My powers?" Terra said worry apparent in her voice. Locke sucked at his lip thoughtfully not exactly sure what to tell her.

"I don't think that's the case. I think you're just tired." He said. Terra bowed her head.

"I don't know Locke. I don't think I have anything to offer to the Returners. I don't think I can help them like they need me to." Locke frowned at this. What exactly did the Returners want from her anyways? Locke sure as hell didn't know.

"Don't worry about it Terra. Whatever happens, I'll be there for you." He said chucking her chin softly. She smiled.


	9. Chapter 9: Ray of Hope

The sun was just beginning to set when Locke caught sight of the Returner's hideout. He nudged Terra.

"Up there. See?" He said pointing. Terra squinted with her eyes and looked in the general direction of Locke's finger, but saw nothing that resembled a place where people could gather.

"I just see a bunch of boulders and grass." She said still squinting. And it was true that that was what most people would have seen. Even Locke had been impressed by the ingenuity of the Returners in keeping their base a secret.

The cave was set inside a ravine created long ago by the Lete River. In order to get into the Returners base one had to enter the ravine, follow a particular obscure path high up into the cliff walls and enter into a small crevice which then led to a cave opening. Even then the Returners had moved boulders around to make the entrance even more hidden. As an added precaution only a few selected men were shown the way. Everyone else had to be led by these men. Everyone except Locke.

The Returner's hadn't been very pleased when a dusty man had walked into their secret abode as if there'd been a welcome mat outside. Banon had been particularly upset, thinking Locke to be an Imperial spy, until he heard Locke's story. After swearing innumerable oaths of secrecy Locke was immediately set to work on making the base even more secure than it was before. After all if one man could find it, so could another. Even so, there wasn't much Locke had been able to do because there was only so much you could do to hide the fact that a large group of people were living in a cave, and the only reason Locke had found it was because he'd spent his life snooping around caves. After assuring Banon that the chances of the Empire sending a professional tracker to their obscure location in the mountains were close to zero Banon had sent him to camp around Narshe as a go between King Edgar and Arvis.

Locke had met only briefly with Edgar, and hadn't been very impressed. The man was brick wall when it came to secrecy and information. He merely took Locke's name and sent him to camp in the forest between Narshe and Figaro. Three months later he received word from Arvis requesting aid in Narshe. He hadn't been too happy about being sent into Narshe to find some wayward soldier, but it had turned out well. He looked at Terra, who continued to look for signs of a cave, and smiled. He hadn't thought there was much the Returners could do to stop the Empire when he joined, but now, now with Terra, they might just have a chance.

"I still don't see it, Locke." Terra said looking at him doubtfully. Locke just grinned.

"Keep looking." He said. Terra looked pained, but continued searching. "Look that way." He hinted pointing left. Terra looked to her left, but she only saw Sabin climbing onto a particularly large boulder with a particularly large grin on his face.

"What's he doing?" She asked.

"I have no idea." Locke said. Locke noticed that Edgar seemed to be just as puzzled as everyone else.

Sabin had reached the top of the boulder and was looking upward into the cliffs. He cupped his hands together and bellowed.

"Ho there friend! You're breathing too loud!" The sound echoed off the cliff walls and Locke heard the strangled cry of a man in return. Quick as dart they saw someone bolt from a hidden cave onto a path right below the boulder Sabin was standing on. Sabin jumped from the boulder and disappeared from view. They heard a lot of scuffling and yelling and one particularly horrific scream. Locke looked at Edgar, and then both of them were running to see what was going on.

When they got there they found Sabin sitting on top of a young boy dressed in a leather tunic with blue leggings, leather boots, and a helmet with goggles on his head. The boy was struggling desperately to get free, but he might as well have tried to move a mountain. He looked desperately at the new arrivals and upon seeing King Edgar he stopped yelling immediately.

"King Edgar, We've been waiting for you!" He gasped. Sabin gave a bark of laughter and, grabbing the young Returner's collar and pulling him up with him, stood up.

"The only thing you were doing, my good sir," he said dusting off the look-out's clothes," was sawing logs. I heard you a mile off." Sabin said. The Returner looked down ashamed.

"It's true, sir… I did, sort of doze off for a moment there." Edgar looked like he was on the verge of reprimanding the boy, but Sabin gave him a friendly slap on the back and said,

"No harm done." Then laughed. Locke was beginning to think he laughed entirely too much. Edgar however was shaking his head, but there was a slight curve to his mouth, so Locke knew that he wasn't really mad. Terra just seemed appalled about the whole thing.

"If you'll all follow me I'll take you to the cave." The boy said. He shot a quick look at Terra and then turned to lead the way.

"Did you have to make such a spectacle, Sabin?" Edgar asked as they followed the boy deeper into the ravine.

"What? It was fun, and besides, I doubt he'll be sleeping on duty again anytime soon." Sabin said grinning. Edgar laughed.

"No, I don't think he will."

The sun had sunk behind the cliff walls and the way was becoming difficult to follow. The sound of rushing water sounded eerily in the night as well, which was why all of them were more than relieved when they saw a tiny stream of light as they turned the corner to the opening of a cave. They followed the Returner deeper into the cave, which was well lit and covered with straw for walking on, to a cave opening which had been covered by a crude door. The boy opened the door and stood aside. They all walked solemnly in, except for Sabin, who paused to slug the boy on the shoulder as a way of saying goodbye. The boy winced and shut the door behind Sabin who was grinning like a little kid.

The room was small, but comfortable. A makeshift desk had been pushed against the wall and was littered with papers, books, pens, inkwells, and sketches. Two birds sat in a cage on a small table next to the desk where four rudely carved stools substituted as chairs. At the desk sat a man with a shocking mess of reddish-brown hair. He was an old man, who had gone a little to seed, but a strong jaw and fierce blazing eyes left no one to doubt that he was a formidable opponent. Upon their entrance he had stood and the moment Terra had entered the room his eyes had never left her.

"Sir Banon," Edgar said respectfully, "We've brought the girl you were looking for. Her name's…"

"So, here you are… "Banon interjected. He walked closer to Terra staring at her intently. "I've heard many strange things about you. I've heard that your body reacted to the presence of the frozen Esper in Narshe."

"Esper?" Terra said uncertainly looking at Locke. Banon took another menacing step closer to Terra causing her to snap back to attention.

"The empire was manipulating her all along Banon. She doesn't remember anything." Edgar said.

"Perhaps she remembers this. Carrier pigeons brought word that she slaughtered fifty imperial soldiers in less than three minutes." Edgar stopped and looked at Terra; in fact everyone in the room had turned their bewildered eyes onto her.

"No…" Terra said weakly.

"We have no evidence to say that she was under control when these events happened." Banon continued glaring suspiciously.

"No!" Terra said rather forcefully. Her hands were clenched, but her shoulders sagged and she stared sadly at the birds in their cages.

"Terra." Locke said standing next to her.

"Banon, you're being too harsh on her." Edgar said a little crossly.

"Silence! Do you know of this story?" Banon asked coming even closer to Terra. At one time evil did not exist in the hearts of men. There was a single box. The people were told never to open it, and if they did not they would remain in peace. However, one man decided to open that box one day. From the box came the very things that taint men's hearts and twist their minds: Jealously, envy, greed destruction, controlling. However, in the depths of the box, a single ray of light shone…" He lifted Terra's head gently and she looked into his eyes. He took her hands in his. "A light known as hope…"

Terra shook her head and looked back onto the table top. Banon frowned and threw down her hands.

"No matter. Perhaps your power is a curse upon the world" he spat. "But I believe it's the world's last grain of hope. Your power is the light that that story spoke of."

"Sir Banon, stop!" Edgar interrupted. "We just got here." He said tersely. Banon only looked at Edgar briefly before he said indifferently.

"I am tired. We will talk later, after we have all slept." No one moved until they had heard the door shut. Edgar sighed and Locke put his hand on Terra's shoulder.

"Locke, I didn't…" Terra began.

"I know you didn't, Terra." Locke said. "Come on. You need to rest." Locke said leading Terra to a small room with a small bed and small bed stand. After she had entered he shut the door and turned to see Edgar sitting at the small table with his head in his hands. He walked by the table.

"You don't actually believe she could have done it, do you?" Locke said almost accusingly.

"Locke, we just… don't know." Edgar replied looking up.

"Terra could never do something like that." Locke retorted.

"Locke, open your eyes. You saw what she did to Narshe. We can only assume she was under their control when she killed the soldiers, but we don't know for sure. She doesn't remember who she is. She could have been a totally different person back then."

"I don't believe it." Locke said leaving the room in disgust and slamming the door behind him.

"Neither do I." Sabin said sitting down next to Edgar. "That's not a personality trait you get rid of easily. Even if you have lost your memory."

"I suppose you're right." Edgar said. "It's just… we don't know anything about this girl. I can't believe Banon's putting so much at stake for her."

"He is kind of strange isn't he?" Sabin said musingly. Edgar frowned and stood up.

"I also don't understand why he had us bring her here. Our last ray of hope? He knows something about her that we don't, and he's not sharing either, but why did he bring up the fifty men? Did he think threatening her was going to make her choose our side? I just… don't understand that man." Edgar said.

"But you trust him." Sabin said simply. "Edgar, I know you wouldn't have left Figaro unless you really felt like this was the right thing, and your judgment has always led you to the right destination. Well, except for…" Sabin trailed off grinning.

"Except for what?" Edgar asked suspiciously.

"Well, except for women" Sabin said quickly. "I mean come on Edgar you always picked the worst ones." Sabin laughed as he watched his brother swell with indignation.

"I'll have you know, I'm quite the ladies man now." Edgar said, but he was smiling when Sabin burst out laughing.

"What with, what was her name, Moora? Tubble Bubble Moora?"

"That was ten years ago!" Edgar exclaimed slugging his brother, who either didn't feel the punch, or completely ignored it.

"Well I hope your taste in women has improved over ten years." Sabin said wiping tears of mirth from his eyes.

"Well I can see your taste in jokes and humor hasn't." Edgar said pushing in his stool. "I'm going to go find a bed to sleep in would you like me to find you one too?"

"Nah" Sabin said, "I haven't slept in a bed in years. Wouldn't do me good to start now."

"Suit yourself, and there was nothing wrong with Moora, she was an absolutely delightful girl." Edgar said as he left the room. Sabin smirked and then settled himself onto a soft rug on the cave floor, closed his eyes, and slept.

That night, Terra dreamed. She dreamed of puppets. Burning puppets, and she saw herself among them. She too was a puppet, and all around her was screaming, and fire, and laughing all mixed together, so loud that no one could hear her scream. But her mouth wasn't open, because puppets don't talk, they just do what they're masters make them do. Puppets don't cry either, but puppets can burn, and they did. They burned till early morning when Terra's eyes opened abruptly and saw the dull brown of a stony wall. The only light was from a small candle on the small table by her bed. It cast flickering shadows, and Terra stared numbly at them seeing only the burning men again.

When she heard footsteps outside she knew it would be Locke. He would be coming into check on her, but she couldn't face him now. "He doesn't think I'm a monster, but I am." She thought to herself. What would he do when he found out; when he learned that she actually remembered that horrid accusation. That she was a witness to her own horrible sins. He'd never talk to her again. He'd never want to see her again.

When the door opened she quickly closed her eyes and steadied her breathing. She felt him approach and pull the covers up and around her shoulders and then walk away. She could feel him moving around the room toying around with small items. She heard a small click and then silence. He stood there silent for a long time, and Terra suddenly became very curious as to what he was doing. She turned around and got out of the bed surprised to see that Locke wasn't looking at her. He was staring down at a golden-red feather with a sad expression on his face. An empty treasure chest stood behind him. She walked over to him.

"What is that?" She asked softly trying not to startle him, still, he jumped from his reverie, but quickly recovered with a grin, except it wasn't really a grin, it was more like a grimace.

"This? This is a phoenix down. We use it for emergencies."

"Phoenixes symbolize resurrection. Does that bring people back to life?" She asked looking in awe at the small feather.

"No." Locke shook his head. The Phoenix is just a myth, but the birds that these feathers are harvested from would be a close relation if it did exist. Their feathers can cure severe injuries that normal potions can't. They're very expensive, but Banon was insistent that we have one around at all times. They're often buried with treasures, but not all the time…" Locke said softly. He became silent and then looked at Terra with a sad smile. "Here. Keep it. I'm sure Banon wouldn't mind." He stuck the feather into Terra's hair which made her blush. She pulled it out and looked at it thoughtfully, then put it in her pocket.

"Locke, everyone tells me that we need to stop the Empire, but I don't really understand why. What are they doing wrong?" Locke shifted and looked off into the distance.

"The Empire has caused much pain and suffering for many people. They burn villages to the ground if they don't agree with them. They kill women and children if they're in the way. They think that they can just take whatever they want from people." Locke's voice became angrier with each sentence and he seemed to realize it because he let out a heavy sigh. "They killed a good friend of mine a long time ago. I found out that there were many people like myself who had suffered like this because of the Empire. I joined the Returners shortly afterwards. I figured that I should fight against the Empire for the people who need my help, you know, to make it up to my friend who died." He shifted uncomfortably.

"You're so noble Locke." Terra said softly, "But I don't have anybody that needs my help…" Images of burning men floated into her head and she quickly shut them out.

"That's not true." Locke said. The people of the world need your help, even if they don't realize it right now. Fight for their sake…" Terra nodded slowly. "Terra, I know Banon was harsh on you last night, but please, don't think about Banon, think about all the people that need your help, that need our help. If anything, do it for them."

"I… I need to think about it." Terra could feel her face turning red even as she said it.

"That's understandable." Locke said, but Terra could detect a little disappointment.

"I'm going to… think…" She said heading towards the door, feeling a sudden need to be alone. Locke nodded and smiled as Terra left.

She shut the door with a feeling of relief. Then looked around the room. Sabin was sitting in the middle of the room on a rug. His sat cross legged with his eyes closed and his whole body tense and focused. He looked angry and a strange feeling of power enclosed the room. Terra walked as quietly as she could to the door hoping not to disturb him. She was just turning the latch when she heard her name from Sabin's direction.

"Terra." Terra winced and turned around to him.

"I'm sorry; I didn't mean to disturb you." She said. Sabin smiled with his eyes still closed.

"There's nothing disturbing about you." He answered almost cryptically and Terra was puzzled by the comment. "I just wanted to tell you that, like you, I don't really know much about what's going on… but, I do know that you can trust my brother, Terra. Even when we were younger he never lied to me. I don't think he'd lie to you either." Terra nodded silently, and felt stupid afterwards because his eyes were still closed.

"Thanks." She said uncertainly. Sabin opened his eyes and smiled.

"Oh, but if you see him, don't even think about telling him what I just said. I wouldn't be able to take the embarrassment." He said and then started laughing. Terra smiled in spite of herself. He was always laughing. "If you need help choosing, you can talk to him. He'll be honest with you."

"Thank you." She said a little more sincerely than the last time. Sabin nodded acknowledgment, and Terra turned to leave.

"Oh. And Terra." He said.

"Yes?" She asked slightly afraid. His eyes were closed again.

"A wise man once told me that when things happen that are out of our control we should never feel guilt, only purpose and desire to right such wrongs. It doesn't do well to dwell on the past." Terra stood still her heat beating in her throat. She knew what he was making allusions to… He knew… but he said nothing more. He took a deep breath, slowly exhaled, and focused himself inwards.

Terra retreated from the room thoroughly mortified. He knew… he knew… She almost screamed when she felt herself run into someone, but she didn't. In fact it was the person she ran into that yelped. It was the look-out boy from yesterday.

"Oh. It's you." He said a little flustered. Terra stood there puzzled. "I thought it was him." He said looking meaningfully at the door. Terra looked at the door and nodded understanding. "He gives me the creeps, he does." He said conspiratorially then smiled. "Lucky for me you got here first. I'm to take you to breakfast and show you around." He said. He walked down some roughly carved steps to a large room where a big oak table was situated, and Terra followed. At the table were a few men dozing in their chairs, and sipping mugs of some hot drink. The young man led her to a small table where he picked up some folded pieces of cloth.

"Breakfast isn't quite ready, so I thought you might like to wash up first. We…uh don't have any hot water here, so I'll just apologize for it right now, and, uh, we also don't have separate wash rooms for men and women. We're mostly men here. Banon thinks women are better suited as spies. He says there less likely to be caught than blokes like us, but don't worry, I'll make sure there are no peepers."

"Um… thanks." Terra said uncertainly as she followed the boy through the cave. With each step the sound of rushing water grew louder until she came into a large room with many beds. Many of them had been slept in and were unmade with clothes strewn about them.

"This is where most of the men sleep." The boy said pointing to all of the beds. "Slobs, aren't they?" He said stiffly. "The baths are just beyond that door, but I think there are men using it. You just stay here, and I'll go find out." The boy handed her the towels, walked a few feet, and then stopped. "Oh, and you might want to close your eyes just in case." He said then hurried through a door. Terra stood uncertainly with her towels in her hands then she heard a loud din of voices and the sounds of many feet coming to the door. She quickly dropped the towels and covered her eyes. There was raucous shouting all around her as men quickly entered into the room. She felt a hand grab her arm and lead her through the doorway. Cautiously she opened her eyes to see the young boy shutting the door behind him carrying her towels with him.

"Sorry about that. I hope you didn't take anything they said offensively." He said handing her the towels."

"What?" She asked because the sound of rushing water now dominated all sound.

"I said, I'm sorry about what they said! Some guys are just pigs!" He said with cupped hands.

"Oh." Terra said.

"I'm going to wait on the other side of the door. At the end of this tunnel is a waterfall. There's soap in the bucket by the wall. Be careful, because the ledge is slippery." The boy yelled.

"Thanks." Terra said as he exited and shut the door. She walked to the end of the tunnel where she saw clear water cascading down over the cave opening. She slipped off her clothes and walked to the ledge holding the towels against herself because of the cold. The cave ground was damp and gritty under her feet, and she could feel the spray from the waterfall as she got closer. She set the towels aside and looked through the waterfall. The sun filtered through the water creating little rainbows around the cave. It might have been beautiful, if it wasn't so cold. Terra could already feel her teeth began to chatter. She looked down cautiously over the ledge. The water fell into the river like thunder and swirled in a frothy whiteness. At the bottom closer to the wall of the cliff Terra could see tiny squares bobbing in the water. She squinted, they looked like rafts… They bobbed around and then out of sight. Terra began to feel ill from looking over the edge, not to mention freezing, so she looked quickly for the soap which she found in a small bucket, grabbed the washcloth and quickly washed herself. On the whole it wasn't a bad experience. The worst part was sticking her head under a small part of the waterfall to wash her hair, but afterwards, as she dried herself off and slipped back into her warm clothes, she felt invigorated from the whole thing.

She knocked on the door and the boy opened it. The other men had left, except for a few who were asleep in their beds. Terra and the boy tiptoed quietly out into the main room where breakfast was being served. Breakfast was boiled oats and some type of bird egg that had been fried. It was rather bland, but Terra found it to be mildly pleasant.

The cave, despite the number of its inhabitants stayed for the most part silent. The men spoke in whispers and everyone walked softly. They'd nod at Terra pleasantly and then their eyes would dart immediately to her hair. Terra was half tempted to put her hood up, but the boy told her it wasn't necessary.

"The men here have been waiting for you for a long time. They've heard all about your description. Most of them think it's very pretty anyways, so you shouldn't be ashamed of it." Terra looked a little sheepishly at the boy.

"I don't know why I have it. I just feel like there's something wrong about it." She said.

"You're different than us. We all know it, but that's ok. You're special, and you're going to help us stop the Empire." Terra looked down at her partially eaten food but the boy continued. "We're still a small organization right now, but many people who feel the same as us have been joining our ranks lately. They're called by the promise of freedom… Still, a lot of us have been very afraid and lacking hope. The Empire had been attacking every Returner they could find, bent on destroying our organization. If we didn't find a way to fight back soon, we knew we would be ruined, but then Banon told us about you. He said you were the key to winning the war against the empire, and that we had to bring you here at all costs. He even told King Edgar to give away his position to the Empire if he had to. Can you imagine telling that to a King? And Edgar actually obeyed, and now you're here." The boy was talking excitedly and staring at her with a strange adoration. Terra put her fork down and heard it clink hollowly in her ears. "You are going to help us aren't you?" the boy asked frowning. Terra felt her heart clench and slowly shook her head.

"I don't know…" She didn't want to look at the boy, but did when he took her hand. He was looking at the table and speaking softly.

"I grew up in Maranda, with my Ma and Pa, and then, one day, the Empire comes in and says that they were going to be in charge. Of course Maranda fought back. We're our own people, and we were going to fight, and we would have put up a good one too, if the Empire had played fair. They didn't. The men had gathered in the village square ready to face them. Many of them, my Pa included, had locked their wives and children inside their houses to protect them. When they attacked, the Empire ignored them and shot fire at the houses out of their machines. Everything started to burn and we all came running from the houses because of the smoke. Then while everyone was running the Empire shot at us. Men women even kids… They shot my Ma and Pa, but they missed me. My Ma was still alive, and I hid her under some smoldering hay. We hid there till night time. My mother told me to run, but I told her I wouldn't leave her. She told me to run to South Figaro and ask the man at the inn about a man named Banon. I told my mother I would never leaver her, ever… so she left me instead." The boy stared at the table still holding Terra's hand. "I ran. I ran and I ran. I was lucky though. I found some others who escaped. Together we ran all the way to Albrook. They knew Banon and they brought me here. They told me all about the Returners, and I told them I wanted to help. There's not much I can do, because I am young, and I'm not even a very good lookout, but I have to do something. My Ma and Pa would be sad if I didn't do something." The boy looked at Terra with glistening eyes. "I'm not telling you this for you to feel sorry for me, most men here have the same story as me. They've lost families, wives, children, and friends. Whenever I feel scared I think about a boy just like me who still has a Ma and Pa, and I say to myself, "I'm going to save his Ma and Pa even though I couldn't save my own" and I know Ma and Pa would be proud of me. I know it's a lot to ask, but please fight alongside us. You have no need to fear…" He squeezed her hand gently and then let go. Terra looked at him a little closer. He was young, but only a few years younger than her. He smiled at her slightly. "I heard Banon was a little harsh to you last night, but he's really a good man. He told me that it was ok to cry, but it was never ok to forget. If you're still confused you should talk to him. He's not always that grumpy." The boy gave her a lopsided grin and then stood up and took her plate. "He's outside if you want to talk to him."

The boy didn't return, and after a while Terra found herself standing up from the table and wandering around. She wandered through some storage rooms, nodded at various men who smiled in return, and then wandered into a small study where she saw Edgar pacing. He looked up before she could leave and motioned her in. He walked behind the desk and sat down in the chair rubbing his face tiredly. He put his hands down and looked at her solemnly.

"We're asking a lot of you Terra. This matter is very deep, and if we interfere with your decision, we're no better than the Empire was. So… we want you to choose on your own."

"I know, thank you." Terra said quietly. "Is Banon still outside?" She asked, Edgar looked up with only a hint of surprise.

"Yes, he only went out a while ago." He said. Terra nodded and left the room. She followed the way outside and stepped into warm sunlight. She stood there for a moment letting the rays soak in, and then turned her gaze to Banon who sat on a small smooth sitting stone in the sun facing away from her. She sat down on a stone next to him and waited for him to acknowledge her. He raised his head slowly and looked at her.

"Have you come to a decision? Will you be our last ray of hope?" He asked. Terra bit her lip and looked at the dusty ground. There was no reason for her not to help. Everyone had put everything they had on the line to bring her here. They'd shown her nothing but kindness, mostly, but, what did they possibly think she could do. It was easy for Locke and the young boy to have a purpose, but how could Terra fight for everyone, she didn't know anyone… Locke and that boy and even Edgar were fighting for someone. Maybe… and Terra felt a soft completion form in her head, as if the final piece of a puzzle had been solved. Locke and the boy and Edgar and everyone here were fighting for someone else, but no one was fighting for them. "I… I can fight for them." Terra thought and then looked up at Banon.

"I don't have much to offer," Terra said, "But, yes, I'd like to help." Banon looked mildly surprised.

"Really?" He asked.

"Yes, but… I'm scared, and I don't really know what I can do." Banon shifted and looked at her with compassion. "And…it's true, what I did to those men…" Terra hardly believed the words as they came out. "I remember it…" She said in a hoarse whisper. "If I remembered it…that means I did it. I did it of my own free will…" Terra felt Banon take her hands in his and they were warm.

"You did not. My men were there and they saw it. Terra you have been used by the Empire. You have been violated. Even if you don't remember it, others do. You must forgive me for last night, because last night I used you as well." Terra looked up startled.

"I only mentioned the fifty soldiers to make Edgar think. It's that damn Figaronian blood, they don't believe in anything unless it ticks and has gears. He didn't believe you were the real thing, my dear, and I needed to give him something to think about. I knew that if I made him think I believed you were dangerous he would begin to think of you as something to be reckoned with. Don't worry my dear I will tell him in due time that it was never your fault."

"Do you have to tell them at all?" Terra asked weakly.

"I will tell Edgar, because he believes you to have done it, and I will tell anyone who doubts your intentions, but to those who can see past all that I will say nothing, because they already know that you never did anything wrong." Terra closed her eyes and felt hot tears behind them. "You have good reason to be uneasy." Banon said, "Even I am worried, but we have to get past that. Terra… you have less need to fear if you have this." Terra opened her eyes and looked at the gift which Banon was handing to her. It was a gauntlet made of pure silver with intricate designs and a few ruby red jewels.

"This is a special gauntlet. When you wear it you will be given extra strength. I have kept this for myself for a long time, but now I give it to you." He put the gauntlet in her hands and wrapped her fingers around it. "I have a plan. Would you please assemble everyone into the main hall?" Terra nodded. "Good, then hurry and do so." Terra stood to leave, but before she did stopped and bent down on her knees and bowed her head.

"Thank you." She said. Banon smiled and cupped her chin in his hands.

"No. Thank you." His eyes sparkled and Terra smiled and ran to fulfill her duty.

The assembly in the main room was smaller than Terra thought it would have been. She was certain she had told many more people about the meeting than were present. Banon sat at the head of the table with Edgar sitting on his right. Sabin had entered silently and had seated himself casually in the chair across from Terra. A few other Returners including the young boy, who was passing out drinks, gathered around the table. Locke entered last and took a seat next to Terra who sat near the end.

"The Empire, as we all know, has somehow gone about reviving magic. We know this from first hand, and second hand witnesses. We also have a living example sitting right her among us." Banon began gesturing to Terra, but there was no gasp of surprise. Many of the men already knew about her powers and Terra was grateful for their acceptance. "What we need to know is how." Banon said looking around the entire table scrutinizing every person as if they hid the answer.

"I've had my scholars, and Locke look into it, but only briefly. The library at Figaro is very limited on that kind of material, and in interest of my Kingdom, trade of knowledge with Vector was cut off and hidden from the Empire."

"Yes, I know." Banon answered a bit testily. "We'll just have to do without the important information we could have gleaned from that."

"We do know, however, that the Empire has been studying Espers around the world."

"We can only assume that's what the attack on Narshe was about. Gathering live research materials." Locke added.

"But…" Terra said and then refrained.

"Go ahead Terra." Banon said.

"What are Espers, and are they somehow related to magic?" She asked. At this point everyone seemed to ogle at her and she shrank back; except for Banon who sat back in his chair and stared hard at Terra.

"Magic and Espers… These two things are mentioned together in only one historical record I can think of…" He said darkly.

"You mean?" Edgar said leaning forward.

"I believe so, The War of the Magi." Banon's words feel like a death knell and everyone in the room burst into agitated whispers.

"My grandmother told me bedtime stories of The War of the Magi when I was little, but I always thought it was just a fable.

"Banon." Edgar said a little incredulously. "You can't be serious. That was 1000 years ago and there's absolutely no material evidence to support…"

"Material evidence is sitting in this room." Banon grumbled, and Edgar shut his mouth.

Even though 1000 years have passed, historians have brought up various theories pertaining to the matter, including one which states that the power of magic is drawn from Espers… and transferred to humans. It's possible that that is what has happened to Terra."

"And General Celes." Edgar added, and then when everyone looked at him curiously he added, "They call her the White Witch with a frozen heart, I've never seen it, but I wouldn't put it past the Empire to have done it."

"Nor would I." Banon agreed.

"Then the only way to fight against the Empire is to use magic ourselves." Edgar concluded.

"No!" Everyone turned to Banon in surprise. "To do that would be to repeat the same mistake our ancestors made 1000 years ago. We must not sink to the Empire's level."

"Then what would you suggest?" Edgar asked irritably. Banon glared around the room daring anyone to defy him.

"I'm wondering if we can make contact with an Esper." Banon said. An uneasy silence filled the room. It was one thing to talk about ancient magical beast, but quite another to talk to them. "If Terra and an Esper made contact before, perhaps they could do it again, and there's an Esper, not under the Empire's control, in Narshe."

"I'm not sure that's such a good idea, seeing as Arvis told us the thing almost killed her the first time." The Returners around the table began to mutter again and Banon sent Edgar a withering glare. "What? You weren't going to tell her?" Edgar asked incredulously, but Banon ignored him and looked solemnly at Terra.

"I won't deny it will be dangerous, but we have reason to believe that the Esper was helping Terra at the time of the connection. It was not the Esper that hurt Terra, but the slave crown the Esper was trying to remove. In Arvis's full report he said that he removed the slave crown, which was broken, with ease, and that most of the wiring had been removed form her head, and I quote, 'almost magically'" Banon said looking patronizingly at Edgar. Edgar pursed his lips and said nothing.

"I'll do it" Terra said, breaking the silent tension between the two. She didn't want to hear anymore.

"Terra, are you sure?" Locke asked. Terra nodded. At this point Sabin stood up from his chair and laughed.

"I've never heard such nonsense before, but it could be interesting." He grinned. "There's someone coming." He said almost as an afterthought and after he said it there was a loud crash by the entrance. Everyone at the table stood as an injured soldier dressed in South Figaronian clothes.

"The Emperor has attacked South Figaro… the man gasped out. They sent Dogs after me. Coming here…" He muttered and then fell to the ground.

"Get him to the infirmary now!" Banon ordered and the men carried him off. "We've been betrayed, we need to decide on a new strategy fast." Banon said looking immediately at Edgar who was pale in the face.

"Locke!" He said tersely. Locke sighed.

"Yeah, I know. Somebody has to go to South Figaro and find out what's going on behind enemy lines, right?"

"I know you can pull this off. It's right up your ally. Good luck!" Edgar then turned and pointed at the nearest Returner, who happened to be the young lookout. "You. Go get his things." The boy nodded and ran off. Terra felt a small panic grip her chest as she realized what was happening.

"Let me go with you." She said grabbing Locke's arm.

"Terra you can't. We must get you to Narshe." He said taking her hands in his. "Wait patiently for my return, and be careful around a certain infamous womanizing king we all know well. Take Care…" He said and gave her a small kiss on the cheek.

"Locke!" Edgar barked hearing the slight. Locke ignored him and grabbed the pack from the lookout boy.

"If you please sir, we found a better dagger than the one you had." The boy handed him the dagger and stood back.

"Thanks kid." Locke said. He turned his head to the others, saluted and left.

Sabin stood leaning against the cave wall laughing heartily at his brother. "I can see now, Edgar, You really are quite the ladies man." Edgar gave him a withering look and then turned to Banon.

"If we still have those Rafts on the Lete river I think know is the time to use them. You, Sabin, Terra, and I will head to Narshe from there. The other Returners should take another direction to lead the Empire away." Edgar said.

"But what about protection?" Banon asked.

"We're going to have to ask Narshe for help when we get there." Edgar said.

"That's not going to work. Narshe is still a neutral country." Banon objected.

"I doubt they will be for long. The Empire's made the push to this continent and they just attacked South Figaro. There's nothing between the Narshe and Figaro except for some mountains and a desert. The mayor of Narshe must have blocks for brains if he can't see the inevitable. Let's go!" He said and led the way toward the bathing room. Terra turned to follow, but stopped when she felt someone grab her arm. She turned to see the look-out boy.

"Here." He said handing her some goggles. "There are some nasty octopuses in the river. They like to squirt ink in your eyes. If you wear these you they can't get you." Terra took the goggles.

"Thank you." She said and then bent down to hug the young boy.

"Good luck." He said. Terra smiled and feeling as though her heart were beating louder than the noise of the rushing river, turned to leave.

A/N: This is the last chapter that I will be writing based solely on the Japanese version. I've decided that instead of just using one I should incorporate both. I figured it was better that way, because some of the quotes in the English version are too good to pass up.

Also the story is going to split here soon, and I am trying to decide if I should split the scenarios into blocks, or if I should write it in real time alternating between each of the three scenarios. If any of you have any preference or advice on that I'd appreciate hearing it. Thanks for reading.


	10. Chapter 10: Parting Ways

Terra and the others hastily made their way down to the rafts below the bathing room. The rafts had been pulled to the shore and men were busy tying supplies down to the rafts.

"Banon sir, there should be enough foodstuff to make it to Narshe, we're ready to leave when you are." A guard reported. Banon surveyed the situation and nodded.

"We are taking different routes, but our final destination is in Narshe. We will need you there with us when the Empire comes." The Returners nodded and piled onto three of the four rafts. The fourth raft was the smallest and would travel the fastest. Banon stepped onto it and Edgar Sabin and Terra followed. Sabin picked up a long oar and began steering the raft out into the flowing current.

The sun was bright and the air was clear, and it almost seemed to Terra that they were merely going for a ride as they sailed swiftly with the aid of the current. At the first crossway the three larger rafts turned away from the main current. Terra saw as the men left little things like broken ropes and food wrapping to lure the Empire after them. As the last raft turned she saw the young boy standing and waving to her. She waved back and watched as they disappeared.

"They'll be fine." Banon said putting a hand on her shoulder. Terra nodded solemnly, and continued to stare at the passing scenery.

Despite the urgency of their departure their traveling speed was very steady. The current was swift, but still calm and Terra listened to the birds and the sound of rushing water in a peaceful manner. She enjoyed letting the river take her. She enjoyed not having to make any more decisions.

Sabin also stood and looked out with a happy smile on his face at the high cliffs that were covered in greenery. Banon had settled himself down on one side of the raft and Edgar, who had just put on his own pair of goggles, went to stand next to his brother. Sabin glanced at his brother and grinned.

"So," he said leaning over conspiratorially to his brother, "are those, um, supposed to… you know…. help pick up the ladies?" He winked at his brother suggestively and then laughed as his brother turned red in the face.

"No. They're supposed to protect us from ink from the octopuses." Edgar said trying to sound dignified.

"Ah… I see" Sabin said pausing only momentarily before he looked at his brother with concern. "Are you sure?" Edgar's reply was a sound slug to the shoulder which caused the pole Sabin was still holding onto to move in the water. Sabin grabbed it as he felt it hit something soft in the water. Moments later large spiral shells began popping up around the raft.

"What the hell are those?" Sabin asked poking one with his oar. The shell sunk into the water and was replaced by eight red tentacles. The tentacles opened and a black oily liquid shot out onto the raft right onto Sabin's chest. The ink splattered up into his face and he sputtered as the foul liquid's stench filled his nose.

"Ugh!" Sabin said stepping back.

The attack seemed to be a signal for all the rest of the octopuses to attack and soon shots of slimy ink were being splattered all over the raft. Terra and Banon quickly pulled out their own pair of goggles and put them on, but Sabin who had none found himself with a face full of black ink.

"Ah! My eyes! I can't see!" He said putting a hand over his eyes.

"Sabin come here." Banon said as he rummaged through some packs. Sabin stumbled over while Edgar reached into his own belongings and brought out a small box with a curious ornament on the top. Terra crawled over dodging the black ink as well as she could to see what Edgar was doing. On the side of the box was a crank and Edgar began turning it. At first the sound that the box made was low, but as Edgar turned it faster the pitch rose higher and higher until Terra could no longer hear it. At this time many of the shells sunk below the water and didn't resurface. Edgar stopped the spinning the crank, the sound lowered into hearing range, and then finally stop. He picked up the box and put it back in his pack and then went and crouched by his brother grinning.

Banon was leaning over him administering some drops to his eyes to clear out the ink from them.

"So," Edgar said wiping some of the black goo off his brother's face. "Does this, um, you know… help with the ladies?" He asked grinning.

"Ha ha, very funny." Sabin said, and he seemed to mean it, because both of them started laughing, and Banon muttered something that sounded a lot like, "kids".

The trip was rather quiet after that, but the raft was covered in ink and stank a bit. Edgar and Sabin sat together talking of older times and Banon had laid down underneath the tarps holding down the supplies.

Terra spent most of the day dozing in the warm sun, but as the day faded away a chill wind began to blow and Terra clutched her cloak closer around her. She had become very tired of the raft, and was the first one after Sabin to jump onto the solid ground when they stopped to camp.

Their landing area was full of rocks and crags, but after climbing a bit they found some level ground and Sabin and Edgar started a small fire. Dinner was rocky biscuits and some sort of tinned meat. Terra was hungry enough not to care, but Edgar looked at it distastefully.

Few words were said between the travelers and soon Banon and Sabin had crawled into their sleeping bags and had fallen asleep. Edgar poked the coals with a long stick he had found and stared moodily into the glowing embers. Terra watched the stick feeling awkward, but at the same time not wanting to leave the warmth of the fire. After a while Edgar spoke not looking up from the coals.

"I'll take first watch. You should get some rest." He said. Terra looked up at Edgar and then down at the fire again.

"Actually, I'm not really tired." She said. Edgar nodded and continued to stare at the fire.

"Edgar?" Terra asked hesitantly. Edgar looked up from the fire. "Do you think Locke's ok?" Edgar shrugged.

"Probably. Locke's good at what he does, and South Figaro didn't rebel, so security is probably light, though he's probably not even there yet." Terra nodded her understanding, but was confused by his lack of concern.

"You don't really like Locke, do you?" She ventured slightly. Edgar looked at her for the first time with fierce eyes.

"I don't know Locke." He said pointedly.

"Oh." Terra said and silence fell upon them again. An icy loneliness seemed to be growing in Terra smothering the warmth within. She missed Locke.

"You don't really know me." She stated letting the implication hang heavily in the air.

"No." Edgar agreed poking again at the coals.

"But you sacrificed your position with the Empire." She said.

"That wasn't for…" Edgar started.

"I know." Terra finished and smiled sadly, "I just wanted to thank you anyways." Terra looked down and then scooted closer to the fire holding her shoulders against the cold. Edgar was a little taken aback and he stared at this girl he'd been saddled with in a new light. She was strange no doubt, and trouble, yes, but she seemed too innocent, too frail to be playing such a big part in this messed up war. Sighing he stood and walked over to where she was sitting and sat beside her.

"I know I've been, well, a little unkind to you, but you have to understand that I have a kingdom to worry about. It's hard to know which decision is right, and it's scary to think of the consequences of choosing the wrong one. Forgive me if I'm not as accepting as Locke. I don't have the same kind of freedom he has." Edgar sighed and stared once again moodily into the fire.

"I hope I am making the right decision…" Terra said quietly and then shivered as a gust of wind blew.

"Here." Edgar said unhooking his cloak and wrapping it around Terra.

"Edgar, it's ok." Terra mildly protested, but Edgar just gave her a charming smile.

"It's the least I can do for a beautiful lady, such as yourself." He said with a flourish which was cut short by a snort of laughter from Sabin's sleeping bag. Edgar looked over to see the sleeping bag shaking from laughter. Edgar frowned and kicked the bag which only made it shake harder. Banon growled something in his sleep and Edgar sighed heavily.

"Thank you." Terra whispered, but Edgar merely waved her thanks and went back to poking the fire with his stick.

Terra awoke to the rising sun over the cliffs and groggily ate breakfast and helped pack the raft with the others. She fell asleep again on the raft as it continued down the river but was rudely awakened by a splash of water as they emerged onto some rapids.

"Sorry about that." Sabin said looking down at her and then pushing the raft away from a boulder sticking out of the water. Terra retreated to the center of the raft, letting the warm rays of the sun warm her up. The rapids were easily navigated by Sabin and they soon were rushed from them into a small lake that had formed between the cliffs. Terra saw Edgar pull out a spare oar and together he and Sabin started rowing to the outlet of the lake. Terra looked at the waters below her.

They were dark, deep, and eerie and she found herself returning to the middle of the raft. She looked around the shores of the lake which were mostly rocky cliff trails and caves of brown. A movement caught her eyes and she glimpsed a large beast just as it sunk into the water.

"Banon!" She said frightfully. "Something big just entered into the lake."

"What was it?" Banon asked looking in the direction Terra was pointing too.

"I don't know, but it was purple." Banon looked at her strangely about to say something when a large tentacle slithered onto the raft. It was purple. Terra screeched and Sabin who was closer turned to see a large purple tentacle creeping onto the raft. He swung the oar down onto the tentacle with a snap. The tentacle retreated back into the water and everyone waited as tension filled the air.

They were approaching the outlet when suddenly the waters split and a large purple octopus heaved himself into the shallow waters by the outlet, and then to everyone's surprise, it talked.

"The name's Ultros. I can't let you pass, so game over kids!" it said in a gravelly and almost comic voice. It began laughing and opened its mouth to show a myriad of sharp yellow teeth.

"What the hell is that?" Edgar shouted running to his pack for his crossbow. Sabin stopped rowing and the raft slowed to a snail's pace. He grabbed his claws and attached them to his fists, but Terra beat them all to the punch.

A burst of fire erupted around the octopus's tentacles which had already begun to wrap around the raft. They recoiled and then one of them flung at Terra. Banon pulled her down just in time watching as the purple blur swung over head. A volley of arrows flew through the air into the soft flesh of the octopus. Ultros shrieked in pain and his arms reached back to pull out the arrows. The raft, at this time had come into the shallows and Sabin took this opportunity jump off the raft, and run to the purple monstrosity. Terra and Banon watched as a white energy formed in his hands and expelled with a flash as Sabin jumped practically into the giant squid's face.

The tentacles were flailing around erratically as the swung around at Sabin who kept shooting out white beams of energy. His speed was too great for the large octopus. Ultros growled and heaved itself out of the water onto the land for better footing. Sabin followed moving quickly in and out of the attacking arms slashing with his clawed hands. Edgar shot another volley of arrows which landed in several of the tentacles.

Ultros roared angrily and in a frenzy began swinging harder and faster. One of the tentacles found its mark and Sabin felt the cold clammy suction cups attach around his body pinning his arms to his side. Ultros lifted him high up into the air.

"Sabin!' Edgar yelled working frantically trying to fit more arrows into his crossbow. Terra grabbed her sword from its sheath and made to jump down and help Sabin, but Banon grabbed her arm, and pulled her back glaring fiercely. She bit her lip and watched as Ultros swung Sabin into the cliff side of the wall with a painful sounding thwack. He had waded back into the shallows where a forest of reeds swayed.

Terra jumped forward and focused all her energy onto those reeds. They burst into flames around the giant octopus and it flailed around frantically swinging Sabin with him, until Edgar shot off his volley of arrows at the arm and it released Sabin who fell into the water below the blaze.

"Sabin!" Edgar yelled jumping into the water and wading towards the burning reeds. Sabin burst from the water shaking the water from his face angrily before he dove back under. The water bubbled with energy as bright flashes of energy exploded underneath the water created small pops on the lakes surface. Then the water became still.

"Sabin!" Edgar yelled frantically. "Sabin!" Edgar began swimming toward where his brother was, but a tentacle shot into the air with Sabin in its arms still struggling. The arm swung back and tossed Sabin to the far end of the lake. Sabin hit the water with a huge splash and then bobbed above the water clearly unconscious. The current of the outlet began pulling at his body and Edgar watched in horror as his unconscious brother began floating down the river.

Edgar ran onto the shore chasing after his brother on the narrow banks of the river till he came to a fork in the river and the banks diminished into sheer cliff sides. Sabin was heading turning away from the main river flow and Edgar flung himself into the water holding onto a boulder for support lest he be carried away with the current as well. His brother was floating past him, and Edgar reached out with his hands, but it was too far and he watched as his brother floated farther down the river, out to the sea.

Edgar was only vaguely aware of the voices of Banon from the Raft, but when his brother's figure disappeared completely he pulled himself back onto the steep bank and walked to the raft.

Terra was staring at the direction Sabin had floated away with wide eyes. Banon however was staring at Edgar grimly.

"He'll be fine, Edgar. I'm sure he's been through worse." Edgar looked sidelong at the rushing river feeling his heart ache. He didn't know if Sabin would be alright or not, but he knew that his responsibility to his people and to the Returners prevented him from going after him.

"Edgar, I need you here to help." Banon said strictly.

"I know." Edgar said picking up the oar and steering back into the main current. No one said anything for the rest of the day.

A/N This chapter was really hard for me to write, and I'm sorry it took so long. I decided to go ahead and do the scenario's in real time, although this is hard because the sheer distance Sabin travels in comparison to the others causes a lot of problems, and the fact that Locke and Celes arrive after Sabin makes it even more crazy, so if things seem a little different it is me trying to make the time difference work in a realistic manner.

Next chapter should be up in a couple of weeks. Thanks for reading and I look forward to your reviews.




	11. Chapter 11: Back at the Beginning

Terra could still feel her body shaking long after their encounter with the strange octopus and the loss of Sabin. Whether it was from fright or the cold she could not tell, but her body seemed to have been overcome with exhaustion, yet her mind refused to let her let go of the stark reality around her.

Edgar had not spoken a word since the loss of his brother and his mouth seemed to be set in a permanat line. He guided the raft along the river glaring at the surrounding wilderness. When a pair of pterdactyls circled curiously ahead he looked as though he longed they would come down and pick a fight, but they merely flew off and disapperaed behind the cliffs.

Banon sat on top of a box of supplies deep in thought and mumbling to himself. When Terra stole glances at him hoping for comfort he ignored her completely. On the few times she did catch his eyes he seemed to only just realize she was there and then would shake his head angrily as though upset with himself for allowing himself to be distracted.

With the silence and the tense mood the trip seemed to go on for an indecent amount of time in which Terra stared vacantly at the towering cliffs. When they finally landed the raft it was dusk and Edgar finally broke the spell of silence that had so bothered Terra.

"It would probably be better to go in the morning." He was saying to Banon. "Narshe's bound to be on edge after the attack. It's hardly been a week. If we go in at night its highly unlikely they'll let us pass. I wouldn't be surprised if they attacked us." Banon nodded his head in agreement though he still seemed to be lost in thoughts of his own. Terra busied herself with helping Edgar set up camp, but he brushed her off.

"If we set up camp here someone will spot us. We're going to have to spend the night in the forest, and I don't think its wise to start a fire." Edgar said to Banon completely ignoring Terra while he unloaded the supplies from the raft.

"Yes, Yes," Banon replied. "Do you think they'll let us see the Esper without a fight, though?"

Edgar shrugged. "I'd say it would be in their best interests to. They ought to know the Empire's going to come after it again. The Elders can't possibly believe they won't at least send another investigative team. But they may also have decided that joining that cooperating with the Empire is the best course of action, and in that case we may be quite unwelcome." Edgar heaved the last box off of the raft and then looked at Terra for the first time.

"I don't imagine having her with us is going to help either. Locke told me some guard went beserk just at the sight of her." Edgar had said it flippantly, but to Terra it almost felt like an accusation. The words had caused more of a hurt that she had been expecting, and, when Banon agreed, she felt tears that she fought hard not to show. The dull ache of lonliness in her chest lurched into full pangs of heartache and before she even knew what was happening she found herself walking straight up to Edgar and slapping him hard against the face.

"Do you honestly think for one second that I like the situation I am in. Do you really think I did this just to put you out!?" She whispered tears brimming on her eyelids as she tried to control the burning rage that had erupted inside her. Edgar looked taken aback and just stared at her.

"I don't _know_ what's going on here. I don't even know what an Esper is. I don't know who I am or what's happened to me." She had started to yell at no one in particular then wheeled onto Edgar again. "And you! You and your snide comments about what a terrible burden I am to you, how you sacrificed your life and kingdom for worthless nobody. How I'm such a freak! I didn't ask you to do anything. I didn't ask for any of this." She waved her hands for emphasis and realized, to her horror, that they had burst into flames. Edgar had put up his own hands in defense, certain that she was going to hurl the flames at him, but she had suddenly stopped her raving and was now staring at her hands with a mixture of fear and hate on her face. She let out a strangled scream and ran to the water and dropped to her hands and knees extinguishing the flames in her hands. Edgar looked to Banon who was watching her with an unreadable expression upon his face. Then he turned angrily to Edgar and snapped.

"This is your mess! Clean it up." And then stomped into the forest.

Edgar tried to compose himself so as to appear calm, but he couldn't stop the pounding of his heart as he walked out into the water. She had not moved from her spot. She had only lifted her now flameless hands to her face and cried big heaving sobs. Her body was shaking, undoubtedly from the cold waters of the river, but he imagined from fright as well.

"I'm sorry." Was the only thing he could think to say, and it seemed lame to him even as he said it.

"I never wanted to hurt anybody." She said her words muffled by her crying and her hands. "I'm so scared… I'm so…scared."

Edgar sighed and then kneeled next to her.

"I'm scared too. We're all scared Terra. My fear has made me act like a total brute to you, and I'm sorry. Please, let's get out of this freezing water. You're going to catch cold." Terra complied sniffing and snuffling the whole way. He led her onto the beach and then wrapped his cloak around her.

"Thank you" she said her voice still muffled. Edgar brushed off her gratitude.

"Look, things aren't that bad really. We're just going to go into Narshe tomorrow. Chances are they won't let us through the first time, but we'll just try again, ok? I promise I won't let anything bad happen to you. I have some authority, being a king after all, so things won't be that bad. And then we'll find a nice, safe place to stay. It'll be nice and warm with decent food and warm beds and we can just relax and try to figure things out while we wait for Locke to come back and report on what's going on in South Figaro."

"Locke? When will he be back?" She asked.

"I'm not sure, but he'll be back. Believe me, he's gotten out of worse." Terra sniffed and smiled wanly.

"What about the Esper? I don't know what you guys want me to do."

"I don't really know about that either, Terra. We have to talk the Elders of Narshe into letting us see it in the first place. Let's just worry about getting into Narshe and finding a place to stay, ok?" Edgar asked. Terra nodded and then looked down.

"I'm sorry for losing my temper. For…for losing control. I'd never attack you, not on purpose anyways." She wiped her eyes with her hands, but didn't look up.

"Of course you wouldn't. I knew that." Edgar lied. He had been sure she was going to immolate him five minutes ago. Terra nodded and then heaved a great sigh.

"Come on. Let's go find Banon and get some rest. It's been a long week for both of us, and there's still more left to do." He said heading into the forest. Terra nodded but said nothing else for the rest of the night.

The entrance into Narshe was, as Edgar had predicted, heavily guarded. He was equally right about them not being pleased to see Terra. No less than 10 guards strode out to them, and none of them looked very friendly.

"You have a lot of nerve bringing her back here." The captain said looking at Banon. He was an older soldier with a lean frame and a gaunt face. The men behind him looked just as grim. He glared at Edgar and then Terra with a murderous stare.

"Be rational. If she were guilty for any of her crimes, which she is not as you well know from the remains of the slave crown, would you really think we would bring her back here." Banon said evenly. The captain snorted.

"Slave crown? You mean the bits a metal that fool Arvis keeps showing to the Elders to try and excuse himself for allowing that girl to escape?" He lowered his hands to his sword menancingly. "No, if I had my way I'd slit her throat right now." He said softly. "Unfortunantly doing that would only bring the Empire back to our doorstep. We want nothing to do with her. Get her out of my sight." He spat on the ground narrowly missing Edgar's boots.

"The Empire's never going to stop until it gets that Esper. You know this. I'm the King of Figaro. South Figaro has been taken by the Empire already. They're probably mobilizing a force as we speak. My castle is the only thing that stands between you and them. I promise you, if you help us, you will have the full support of my forces." Edgar said. The captain laughed.

"You mean the King who abandoned his own people? The King who did nothing to protect South Figaro? And we're supposed to get help from a nation that buries its head in the sand?" The captain jeered and the men behind him laughed.

"You think you're doing anything different?" Banon accused angrily. Staying nuetral while the Empire crushes city after city. You think that your sacred neutrality is going to keep you free from the Empire's wrath? You are the ones who are cowards!"

The captain swung his fist at Banon and his nose erupted with blood. Terra screamed and backed away while Edgar stepped forward only to receive a blow to the stomach and face.

"You keep your little Imperial whore away from here." The captain said then turned smartly on his heel into the town.

"This is all my fault." Terra moaned as she looked at Edgar's swollen lip and with glowing hands fixed it.

"These guys aren't going to listen. There's got to be another way in though. Terra, how did you and Locke escape? He never mentioned it to me."

"I… I woke up inside a cave. He tapped something on the wall and an entrance opened. I don't remember much else, because that's when the guard attacked us." Her voice trailed off, but Edgar ignored it.

"Do you remember where the wall was?" He asked. Terra nodded and pointed to the west where a heavy glade of trees were. "Right. Let's backtrack. We're still being watched, but knowing Locke there's a secret switch in that wall that will lead us into the mines. We should be able to find a way to Arvis's house. With any luck, Terra might be able to help guide us." They all agreed and headed back down the trail till the guards were out of sight.

When they arrived at the stony wall Edgar immediately began pressing his hands against it. He paused a moment and then turned a jutting piece of rock sideways. There was the sound of clicking gears and slowly a large boulder turned enough to allow a person to enter inside of the cave. Edgar motioned them to follow as he slid into the opening.

Terra immediately recognized the cavern. She could almost see Locke's kind face looking down at her, and offering his hand to her. It was definantly the cavern, but as they walked further into the cave Terra's memory faded. This was where he carried me. She thought to herself, and the thought of him holding her in his arms made her flush with a feeling she wasn't quite able to explain. She only knew that she would give anything to be in those arms again.

A dead torch with a flint next to it hung in a brazier on the wall. Edgar took it up and flicked the flint causing it to burst into flame. He looked expectantly at Terra.

"I was unconcsious when he brought me here." She said in reply. Edgar nodded and led the way.

"I think if we follow the tracks," Edgar said pointing to some mining cart tracks, "we'll be able to find our way into the city." Banon nodded and gestured for Edgar to lead the way. The firelight flickered on the cavern walls casting long shadows that Terra found to be very unsettling. Water dripped monotonously from somewhere deeper in the mines, and their breathing seemed to be loud and harsh in the silence. Terra was waiting for guards to jump them at any minute.

They turned a corner and entered a large spacious cavern that was harshly lit by numerous shafts of sunlight issuing from openings that looked like tiny white dots in the ceiling. Edgar stopped and surveryed the room. A door stood at the other end of the large space and between them and the door was a dozen or so boulders littered across the ground. Mirrors had been placed into them and light from the sun glittered hapharzardly off their reflective surfaces.

"What is this place?" Terra asked.

"I think it's…" Edgar paused to think. "Yes, I've heard of these before. It's a security system employed in Narshe. A tests of sorts, to protect intruders from entering the city from the mines. All we have to do is follow the path of boulders that have mirrors set into them. Some sort of alarm system must go off if we don't follow the right path." Edgar squinted at the boulders as they continued to flash off light from the mirrors.

"It's really hard to get through becase the mirrors reflect light onto the walls which also have mirros. The light scatters all over the place making it hard to tell which boulders have the mirror's set into place. I imagine most Narshe miners memorize the path." Edgar crossed his arms and stared at the puzzle ahead of him.

"Is it possible to pass by guessing?" Banon asked.

"Possible, but not likely. Fortunantly for us," Edgar said as he leaned down to look at the first boulder, "Our adventourous friend has marked a path." Edgar said pointing at the boulder in front of them. Chiseled discreetly into the rock underneath the mirror was an arrow pointing to the left.

Banon peered at the carving. "You mean Locke did this?" he asked.

"Who else?" Edgar answered. "A narshe miner would never need to mark his way, and the arrow is light enough that most of the miners would not notice it." Edgar made a tentative step towards the left, and then, hearing no alarm, walked to the next mirror. Sure enough, the entire pathway had been marked previously by Locke, and following the arrows they soon found themselves at the end of the room.

"We should be close now." Edgar said as he walked into a well lit corridor. A set of stone steps descended downwards and there was suddenly a clear, well-used path in front of them.

"I remember this place." Terra said. She looked to her right and saw a hole in the cavern floor. "That was where I fell…" She said absently and then continued down the path. "Up here is an exit and outside is a bridge. I crossed it from the old man's house, but some guards spotted me." She said.

"We shall have to be careful about that, but if it's true, we're very close to Arvis's home, and therefore very close to safety." Banon said looking at Edgar who nodded. They followed the path to the exit and into the fresh sunlit air. The wind seemed biting cold compared to the stifling air of the mines. Checking for guards and seeing none they crossed the bridge and found themselves in an alley between a house and a cliff wall. A door was set in the back of the house which they entered quietly.

The house was warm and cozy and Terra felt a great surge of relief. She knew this place. The very first place she remembered. She lowered the hood to her cloak and gave a sigh of relief.

They were in a small room that had a bed in the corner and a desk on the opposite wall. A comfortable fire was burning in the small fireplace and a cheery yellow light issued from the oil lamps. The handle to the door turned and a middle aged man came into the room dropping the books from his hands at the sight of the three strangers in his house.

"Sir Banon! Sir Edgar!" He said in surprise. I just heard from the Elder that you had tried to enter the town.

"Arvis, what is the situation here?" Banon said brusquely. Arvis picked up his books and set them onto the desk, smiling at Terra as he pushed a odd assortment of metal out of the way.

"The town is still refusing to ally with the Returners or the Empire. I've tried to persuade the leaders to side with the Returners, but they won't listen. But, enough about that. Why have you come here. It's extremely dangerous to be wandering around and with Terra too!" He said and he looked truly concerned for Terra's well being.

"How have the residents responded to the Esper, arvis?" Edgar asked a hint of urgency in his voice.

"We moved it out of the mineshaft since the people are so uneasy about it. It higher up in the mountains now."

"Arvis, the time has come for us to stop hiding. The empire is massing to take this Esper by force. Why else the push to take over South Figaro so quickly. It's only a matter of time before they come, we brought Terra here to see if she could possibly solve this riddle." Arvis looked warily from Banon to Terra.

"Many of the townspeople are curious to know more about the Esper. I know Terra has some sort of… er… connection with it, but are you sure that's wise, Banon?" Arvis asked.

"We have no time to wonder Arvis. What matters now is preparing Narshe for an attack. I need you to grant Edgar and I an audience with the Elders. We must convince them that there is no more time to pick sides. The empire has already picked for them. I have men waiting by the Lete River to come to our aid, but what we really need is the Elder's cooperation with the Espers." Arvis nodded.

"I'll see what I can do, but it may take a while. Forgive us, but the people of Narshe are set in their ways. I can't promise they'll agree to meet with you."

"We have time for now. We will wait here. I daresay we could use some rest. Locke should be returning with us soon with news from South Figaro. Please, Arvis, some food, and a bed for the girl. She could do with some rest." Banon said. He motioned for Edgar to follow him and exited the room.

Arvis left with them but soon returned with a bowl of warm soup and a dressing gown for Terra. Terra thanked him awkwardly, but he only smiled and collected the pieces of metal from the desk. Terra ate the soup after he left and slid gratefully into the comfortable dressing gown. She slipped into the covers after making sure the door to the back was firmly locked. The house was quiet as she lay there feeling her tired body drift. Banon and Edgar's voices drifted through the wall and she listened to the bits and pieces of their conversation that she could. Her mind snapped to attention when she heard Edgar tell Banon, "This Esper's either going to save us… or dig us an early grave…" Fear struck deep into her heart, and she closed her eyes wishing with all her might that Locke would return to her soon.


	12. Chapter 12: Doma

Sabin awoke to the sound of waves. The salty sea air and cold gritty sand on his body slightly permeated his dull senses, but was nothing compared to the ominous thundering of the waves.

He was only vaguely aware that he was alive as his consciousness seemed to flit in and out chaoticly but, after a time, thought seemed to formulate in his head and he became acutely aware of his breathing as it fell and rose in rhythm with the crashing waves.

Memories came back to him in flashes. Duncan's last training session. His encounter with Vargas. A pretty girl with pale green hair and eyes like a caged animal. And Edgar…

His brother had not changed at all. His face was still smooth, pensive, and unreadable. His dominating presence still commanded respect while his charismatic words and actions created a sense of safety and comfort that drew people to him and to his cause. He was still shrewd, calculating and the man people looked to for guidance just as Sabin had done when he was younger.

Sabin knew that he shared most of these characteristics with his brother. He knew by the way Duncan had taken to him; knew by the way his fellow students admired and respected him. He knew by the way Vargas had loathed him for creating awe and admiration in those around him as easily and instinctively as one took breath day in and out. And while on the surface he and his brother were similar in looks and actions, Sabin knew that you could not find two men more different.

Sabin sensed it in the tightness of his brothers shoulders. He saw it in the lines around his eyes and the weariness inside of them that his brother was a man struggling, but did not know what he was struggling for. His brother had lost sight of what was important to him and Sabin knew he had to bring it back to him. Just as Edgar had been brought to him.

After 10 years they were finally supposed to be together again. The times were dire and his brother would need him now more than ever. Which was why Sabin could not understand why after finding his brother he had been so swiftly taken away from him.

The waves continued to fall and recede upon the shore. The world felt timeless as though everything had stopped except for here where Sabin was. He would find his brother.

He breathed with the ocean and felt his mind slip back into dark depths feeling a completeness he had not felt in a long time…

Sabin's second awakening was not so insightful as his first. The sound of wheels on a rocky path and the bumping and shaking of the world around him combined with the sun glaring down on him caused Sabin to groan in pain. The shaking stopped as did the grinding noise, but the sun shone on and Sabin closed his eyes even as he heard footsteps approaching. He felt the mans shadow as it blocked the sun and he squinted his eyes open to look into the face of a middle aged man with an imperial uniform on.

"Glad to see you're awake." The soldier said reaching into a bag next to Sabin and pulling out a vial filled with a pale green liquid. Sabin slowly sat up and saw that he was on the back of a wagon filled with crates and bags most of which were empty. The young soldier offered him the potion. He drank it gratefully, feeling the vitality seep into his body.

"My thanks." He said handing back the empty vial.

"Not a problem, sir. I don't get to do much out here, so its nice when I can help someone out. I found you off the coast about a week back. You were pretty beat up. Lucky for you, I was almost at the end of my trade route and had room for you on the wagon. I've been giving you potions when I felt you would be able to get them down, and I figured I could leave you with the old man at the end of the route if you were still out. Since you're awake, perhaps you wouldn't mind telling me how you came to be unconcsious in the middle of nowhere?" The soldier asked. Sabin smiled ruefully.

"You wouldn't believe me if I told you." He replied. The young man laughed good naturedly.

"Well, whether I believe you or not, I'd still like to know." He said. Sabin glanced at him sideways, and then told the young man about his run in with a giant purple octopus. The soldier laughed so hard that tears started to stream down his face.

"I swear that's the truth." Sabin said seriously, but this only caused the man to laugh more.

"I don't really care what kind of trouble you got yourself into. All sorts of trouble is happening to people out here these days. But I can sure appreciate a man with a sense of humor." He said grinning. "The old man's house is a few more hours aways, so you're welcome to get some rest on the wagon, but after that I have to resupply. Which way is home?" He asked. Sabin sat quietly for a moment and then said quietly, "I need to get to Narshe."

The soldier whistled. "You're a long way from home then, and I'm afraid I can't help you much, but if you continue south from the old man's house you might be able to find a ship to the other side of the continent. It's not likely to happen until Old King Doma surrenders to Imperial control, but you never know. He's as stubborn as an old bull chocobo that man is. We've been here for months. Well, I've got to keep this wagon moving so lay back down and get some rest." The soldier stood up and mounted the chocobo that was carrying the wagon. The bumping and shaking began again and Sabin looked into the vast blue expanse of the sky above him.

Doma… He had traveled farther than he thought, and then suddenly it became clear to him. The stiff wind, the bright sun, the endless plains. This was Doma, the largest Kingdom in the world. And it was under siege…

Sabin wondered what that meant for him as a traveler, but then decided it didn't really mean anything. He couldn't be associated with the Returners yet, and he had learned a thing or two about going by unnoticed. His only enemy was time. If the Empire already had South Figaro and Doma under seige than Narshe had to be next.

But Doma was strong. Some of the fiercest warriors hailed from here, and they had great economic power in the world, but rumors had it that there was discontent between the lords and the quickest way to bring something down was to divide and conquer it. Something the Empire had seemed to have a talent for.

A bump in the road jolted Sabin out of his ruminations and he shook his head wearily. Thinking and worrying about his problem wasn't going to help anything. He had to focus his mind and relax his body. Things would be as they were he thought to himself and gratefully slipped into that deep, rejuvinating numbness that Duncan had tought him.

He felt the weariness leave his body as he cleared his mind of all thought. He could feel his senses heighten; could hear the sound of birds, the sighing of the high praire grass. He could hear the soldier's breathing and the chocobo's quiet warbles. But as he continued along the bumpy road he began to feel that something was wrong. He felt fear and confusion. He felt a feeling of deep, dark remorse smothered in layers of apathy and dead emotions. He felt the wagon creak to a stop and then he opened his eyes.

A large broken down house, nearly buried in praire grass, filled his field of vision. Confusion and disrepair seemed to reek from it, but more powerful was the feeling of remorse, and that came from a man dressed completely in black standing by a broken down well. Next to him a massive dog lay sleeping. The dark man caught Sabin's eyes and glared so heavily that Sabin turned away, and busied himslef with getting off of the supply wagon.

"Looks like you're feeling better" the soldier said as he came back to the wagon.

"Yes, thank you." Sabin replied.

"Come here. I'll introduce you to the old man." The soldier said as he gathered some supplies from the wagon and walked towards the door to the house. Sabin followed. The soldier knocked and the door flew open to reveal an old and frazzled looking gentleman. His hair stood on ends and his unkempt beard looked like matted moss. He glared at the young soldier who smiled back.

"Hey you! Are you the repair man that's was supposed to come and repair my clock? I've been waiting ages now!" He said loudly to the soldier.

" Nah, I'm just here to restock your food, sir." The soldier said cheerfully. "I think the man your looking for here is him." He said pointing at Sabin. The man turned his beady eyes to Sabin who started to protest, but the soldier only grinned and walked inside.

"Its up on the wall there, see?" the man said pointing vaguely to the inside of the house. "I can't remember how long its been since it broke. 1 year… 5 years? Maybe even 10 years!" The man shook his head and looked expectantly at Sabin.

"Um… I'm not a repair man." Sabin replied lamely, The old man eyed him suspisciously the smiled.

"Ah I see, You must be the lawnmower repair man!" He said in a more civilized tone as he folded his hands in front of him. "Your service warranty stinks!" He barked abruptly. "The grass out back has grown 15 meters high!" Sabin looked around and seeing no machine and no lawn, just looked back confused. But the man was indignant.

"All right repairman! Hurry up! Repair the stove! It's freezing. It's freezing!! It's like winter here all the time now." The man walked into the house and waited for Sabin at the door. Sabin walked in cautiously. He supposed he could give a shot at fixing the old man's stove.

On the wall, a clock was ticking soundly away letting Sabin know that it was an hour past noon. There was a small bed pushed into the corner and a supply shelf with some food on it. In the other corner there stood the stove. Despite being quite warm outside a large amount of heat emanated from the stove.

"Really, no child could be this mischievious." Sabin sighed to himself.

"Child? I don't have any children!" The old man yelled. "It still gives me the chills. I threw that monster out years ago. Out! Out! Onto the Veldt, ages ago..." The man was rubbing his hands agitatedly now and kept looking over his shoulder as though he expected the monster to be right behind him.

"Well, I think you're stoves better now." Sabin said to the old man.

"What!?" The old man said and then looked sternly at the stove. "I don't know what you're talking about. That stove's been working fine for years." He said. Sabin sighed and walked out of the house and back to the supply wagon. The soldier was chuckling behind him.

"The man's a little off his rocker, but he's harmless. The local farmers send down supplies to him out of charity. I drop them off for them and then head back through to resupply." The soldier explained.

"I see." Sabin replied. He looked again at the dark stranger and the soldier followed his glance.

"Can't tell you much about him except for he's dangerous and likes to be left alone. He orders some stuff from me everyonce in a while. Usually weapons and some strange herbs used for poisons. He's been lurking around here for about a week, but he keeps to himself. I think he'd like to keep it that way, if you know what I mean." The soldier said pointedly. Sabin nodded as the man shuffled some supplies on the wagon.

"Well this is where we part." The soldier said holding out his hand to Sabin. Sabin took his hand.

"Thank you for your help." Sabin said sincerely. The soldier brushed it off.

"I've got the feeling you would have done the same for me." He mounted his chocobo which warbled in protest. "Good luck I hope you get to Narshe sooner than later."

Sabin raised his hand in farewell. "As do I." He said to himself. "As do I…"

He waited until the soldier was out of view before approaching the dark clothed man and his dog. The man was completely dressed in black leather with an assortment of belts. From these belts hung various sharp edged shurikens and a very long, very wicked looking dagger. The only thing that could be seen of the man was his eyes and they narrowed with dislike as Sabin approached. The dog, who was black as well, merely looked at Sabin in a bored fashion, though Sabin could feel the muscles of the beast tense at his approach.

"My name is Sabin." He said holding out his hand. The man did not return the offer. He folded his arms and leaned up against the well. "I'm looking to get to Narshe as fast as possible. If you're traveling my way I wouldn't mind having a traveling companion." He continued.

"Its unlikely you will be able to get to Narshe. The Empire has set up a base camp near the east woods. They have restricted all passage to and from Doma including ships. Apparently Doma is under seige." The man replied. His voice was quiet and deep and seemed to have a sad melodic flow to it. Sabin bowed his head in thought then looked up.

"Nevertheless, I have to get to Narshe. Would you like to join me?" Sabin could feel those dark black eyes surveying him, and relaxed when he felt their approval.

"You can call me Shadow. I, too, am seeking passage to the other continent. I have business there to attend to, as I sense you do as well." Sabin nodded. Shadow turned away and began walking into the tall praire grasses.

"I can't promise you any safety. The reaper is always a step behind me." He said ominously then continued on. Sabin paused slightly at this remark, but followed anyways. The man was dangerous. He could feel it strongly. But the man was also honest and held no malice toward Sabin and that feeling was much stronger.

Sabin followed Shadow through the rolling plains. His dog, whom Shadow called Interceptor, ran alongside the two and then doubled back, but unlike most dogs who wagged their tails in delight at such ventures, Interceptor seemed to be quite alert to his surroundings and did not wag his tail in enjoyment. It was almost as though he was scouting the area ahead. Sabin decided that the dog was unusually smart.

They traveled together for three days. A steady and pleasant pace through the grasslands. They passed a few farm buildings and fields and Sabin smiled as Interceptor barked at and chased the chickens. The farmers they met were kindly and helpful in giving directions, but upon seeing Shadow they became quiet and eager to send the two of them on their way. Sabin began to get the feeling that Shadow did not have a very favorable reputation in these parts.

The man was an intrigue. He ate little, and slept less. Since their conversation by the broken down well he had said fewer than five words. Prefering to communicate by silent nods instead. Sabin had heard of men like him before. They were the outlaws of Doma. Highly specialized assassins and thiefs that traded their skills for money.

Duncan had often warned Sabin about them; going on and on about how they had no honor and were extremely ruthless. But he had also told Sabin that they traveled and worked in Clans and very rarely did business on their own. Shadow seemed to have no clan or any companions except for his dog. He had mentioned having a job to do on the other continent and Sabin wondered if he was just being sent by his clan to do business or if he was truly working alone.

But the thought was quickly dashed from his mind. For as they approached the southern part of the continent they came upon the seige of Doma.

Sabin stood beside Shadow atop a large hill. The wind blew gustily against them rippling through the folds of Shadow's cowl like flowing water. Below them a meandering river pulled their attention to a large stone castle and then further onto the ocean. But all around the castle and the ocean were the mechanisms of the Empire crawling around like ants. The harbor was filled with ships; some with white sails others that belched dirty black smoke. And from these ships came machines and men issuing forth slowly; dark and brown like mud.

The Doman flag whipped in the wind defiantly at its invaders, but trembled as a missle from a seige tank exploded against the castle walls. Along the perimeter of the castle large mechanical structures were being set up. They were like nothing Sabin had ever seen before. Their diamondshaped heads and ungainly mechanical arms swayed in the winds as soldiers below swarmed underneath them preparing them for whatever it was they were meant to do.

Sabin knelt down and surveyed the situation. The blockade was tight and the encampment vast. He could see no way of getting across the sea to Narshe from here. He grit his teeth. There had to be away! He looked back to Shadow who seemed unpreturbed about the massive obstacle that was presented before them. Sabin stood and squinted against the wind.

"How long have they been here?" He asked. Shadow stepped forward to stand next to Sabin.

"About 5 months." He answered.

"Have you tried to get through before?" Shadow snorted and chuckled darkly.

"Yes. Before they destroyed the navy it was quite easy to travel, but since then…" He nodded his head toward the activity below amd Sabin nodded his understanding.

"Do you think we can get through?" Sabin asked. Shadow shrugged nonchalantly.

"We will or we won't. Either way, now is the time." Sabin turned and looked at him suspiciously.

"What do you mean now is the time?" Sabin demanded. The dark eyes of the man flashed at Sabin threateningly and Interceptor growled slightly.

"A stranger comes up to me and asks me to join him on a journey to the same destination I have been seeking for weeks. I don't question fate I just follow it. Perhaps it'll be the death of me, or perhaps I'll be the death of you. Or maybe we'll escape death for a little longer and continue on our way. I don't know, but now is the time." He turned and began walking down the hill. Interceptor bared his teeth threateningly before following. Sabin watched the two of them descend down the hill for a while before following.


End file.
